During its earliest history, Mars was hit with many asteroid-like boulders. The impacts of these boulders caused Mars to become warm enough for continents to drift across the surface just as they do on Earth to this day.
What is now the highlands of Mars may have once been a huge continent which froze in place, in the south, when the crust became too thick to move.
After the crust became too thick to move, a warm bubble of material, rose from the deep interior of Mars and created the Tharsis Bulge and the volcanoes. The volcanoes poured out a new surface over the lowlands of Mars.
After this however, all volcanic activity on Mars stopped.
How did life evolve on Earth? The answer to this question can help us understand our past and prepare for our future. Although evolution provides credible and reliable answers, polls show that many people turn away from science, seeking other explanations with which they are more comfortable....more
In the earliest history of Mars, there was probably lots of water. Heat from inside Mars probably caused volcanoes, as well as continental drift. These conditions are very favorable for certain forms of...more
Mars is small. Mars is about 1/3 the size of the Earth. This means that it cooled off very fast. Mars probably started colder than the other earth-like planets. Then, Mars cooled rapidly from the outside,...more
Volcanic rises are more like islands than a continents. They are broad, sloping highlands over 1000 km across. They are cut by deep troughs 100-200 km across and have shield volcanoes near the top. Measurements...more
This image, taken from the Mars Global Surveyor mission (MGS), shows the Tharsis Ridge, the green/blue area in the middle of the picture, as well as a portion of the southern hemisphere of Mars. The green...more
This is an example of the cratered surface of Mars. Almost all of the surface of Mars is covered with craters. Craters can be wiped out over time, so a surface which has many craters is very old. The lowlands...more
This is probably what happened to Mars: an early warm period the inside of Mars cools off very fast volcanoes appeared, and the Tharsis Bulge is created there are changes in climate every once and awhile,...more
Unlike Earth, there is no continental drift on Mars today. The Martian surface does not seem to have changed or moved in billions of years. 1.) The surface of Mars shows craters at all latitudes and longitudes....more