Snowfall carved valleys on Mars?

Jul 25, 2013 |

Washington

The valleys on Mars may have been carved out by melt-water from ancient snowfalls on the Red Planet, a new study suggests.
Researchers at Brown University have shown that some Martian valleys appear to have been caused by runoff from orographic precipitation, moisture carried part of the way up a mountain and deposited on the slopes. Valley networks branching across the Martian surface leave little doubt that water once flowed on the Red Planet.
However, researchers said where that ancient water came from, whether it bubbled up from underground or fell as rain or snow, is still debated by scientists. The study found that water-carved valleys at four different locations on Mars appear to have been caused by runoff from orographic precipitation, snow or rain that falls when moist prevailing winds are pushed upward by mountain ridges.

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