Fossil dunes on Mars. (Photo: NASA / JPL / University of Arizona)
New space research team discovered a fossilized sand dune canyon Valles Marineris on Mars . The dunes are estimated to be 1 billion years old.
A report published in the Journal of Geophysical Research Planet explains that billions of years ago Mars was a wet, water-rich planet, but turned into the cold, frozen desert it is today. Its past history can be seen from ancient river deltas, lakes and dunes created by lava.
"We identified and mapped the vast desert in the Valles Marineris Gorge (one of the largest canyons in the solar system) showing clear evidence of litification and burial processes. This is rare in terrestrial sand dunes due to ongoing erosion and tectonics," the authors explain. Matt Chojnacki's main research from the Planetary Science Institute, as quoted from IFL Science , Saturday (10/10/2020).
He added that the age estimate was based on the relationship between dune deposits and other geological units and the rate of erosion. When compared to Mars, Planet Earth also has sand dunes that are petrified due to several conditions. Earth is formed by flowing water, volcanoes, earthquakes, rain and wind.
Unlike Earth, Mars actually only has 1 percent of the density of the atmosphere, there is no water cycle, no tectonics, so that the dunes that are formed are different from Earth. This can be known through discoveries, one of which is this dune.
"The ancient dunes of the Valles Marineris, with their diversity of shapes, reveal how rich their geology is. It also tells us that wind-driven sand transport, deposition and lithification have occurred over much of Mars, as well as provide a different evolutionary picture from Earth." Matt Chojnacki.
Anjasman Situmorang, Journalist