Mars: Earth’s little brother What are the similarities and differences you notice? Mars’s axis is tilted at 25 deg. What are seasons on Mars like? Mars’s axis tilt changes dramatically. What happens when the tilt is less/more? Artist’s depiction of an ‘icy Mars’ Do the Earth and Mars have similar interiors? Why?
How do we even know what’s inside a planet? Atmospheres: Are they similar? Why?
Constituents:
Nitrogen: 78% Carbon Doxide: 95.% Oxygen: 21 % Nitrogen: 3% Argon: 0.9% Argon: 2% Water: > 1% Oxygen: 0.1% Carbon Doxide: 0.002% Water: > 0.03% Is there water on Mars? Why or why not? Is there water on Mars? Why or why not?
Mars’s south pole Is there water on Mars? Why or why not? Phase Diagram of Water
Earth Partial Pressure of Water PartialPressure Water of Mars
Temperature Is geology on Mars similar to that on Earth? Does this look like the Earth?
What kind of geologic processes can you see evidence for? Notice any big impact craters? Olympus Mons: The biggest volcano in the solar system Olympus Mons: The biggest volcano in the solar system
Is this similar to volcanoes on Earth? Valles Marineris: The solar system’s biggest canyon
Our ‘grand’ canyon Mars or Earth? Mars or Earth?
Columbia Hills, Mars
Atacama Desert, Chile Columbia Hills, Mars Mars or Earth? Mars or Earth?
Kilauea Volcanoe, Hawaii Olympus Mons, Mars Mars or Earth? Mars or Earth?
Dubai, UAE Endurance Crater, Mars What is the evidence for past water on Mars? Mars or Earth? Mars or Earth?
Djado Plateau, Niger Valles Marineris, Mars Mars or Earth? Mars or Earth?
Holden Crater NE, Mars Lena Delta, Argentina Mars or Earth? Yemen
Mars or Earth?
Mars Mars or Earth? Mars or Earth?
Niger Mars Seven minutes of terror
Curiosity descent http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZX5GRPnd4U
Google Mars
Mars: Take-away messages • Although smaller than Earth, Mars and Earth are similar in many ways. • Mars and Earth have similar interiors, although Mars has no liquid outer core, and so no magnetic field. • Mars geology is/was formed by cratering, volcanism, tectonics and erosion by wind AND WATER! • (Plate tectonics doesn’t seem to have been important) • Mars’s atmosphere is very different from Earth’s - lower mass, and full of CO2. • Mars’s small atmosphere and low temperature makes liquid water unstable at its surface (at least right now). Percival Lowell’s Mars Lowell’s Map of Mar published in 1895 Viking’s Mars 1976 Viking’s Mars 1976