“Mars Express” rover’s photo of the consequences of the ice age on Mars

According to RCO News Agency, Our planet has experienced several ice ages over the past 2.5 billion years.

According to Universe Space Tech, These ages were part of an ancient geological cycle that was mainly caused by changes in the Earth’s orbit around the Sun and fluctuations in its axis of rotation. The last glaciation peaked about 20,000 years ago, lowering the planet’s average temperature to 7-10 degrees Celsius (eight degrees Celsius lower than today).

Earth is not the only planet that experienced ice age, ice age also occurred on Mars. This issue is clearly shown in the images taken by the Mars Express rover. These images show an area known as Coloe Fossae.

The pits in this area are marked by long parallel lines similar to scratches. These are the remnants of glaciers that have repeatedly advanced and retreated, gradually creating deep craters. Like other parts of Mars, this area is covered with numerous craters with varying degrees of erosion. At the bottom of them you can see another sign of the ice age. This sign is spiral patterns.

These patterns provide information about the Red Planet’s past climates. They were formed when ice streams covered with a thick layer of rocky material slowly flowed across the surface of Mars. A similar thing happened on earth.

The region photographed by Mars Express is located at 39 degrees north latitude, which is far from the North Pole, raising the question of how the ice could have reached such low latitudes. The answer lies in the advance and retreat of glaciers. Although Mars is currently dry, throughout its history it has experienced alternating periods of warming and cooling, freezing and thawing, caused by changes in the tilt of its axis.

During the cold periods, the ice spread from the Martian poles to the mid-latitudes, and when it warmed, it retreated, leaving distinct traces. Spacecraft have discovered valleys and craters filled with glacial deposits across this latitudinal band, testifying to global climate change on the planet. This region may have been covered in ice until half a million years ago, when the last ice age on Mars ended.

end of message