The goal is to analyze evolution ancient climate Mars and the starting point is understanding the “DNA” of ripples (ripples formed in sediment by wind, in this case) on the Red Planet.
This scientific model, developed by researchers from the Department of Geosciences of the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Coimbra, allows to “identify the mechanisms responsible for the formation” of the ripples.
If on Earth this phenomenon (which can be observed in “beach dunes”, for example) is of “small dimensions”, with “a spacing of about ten centimeters, then on Mars it can reach between two and five metres”, says David Vaz, the principal investigator of this study.
The model created by the National Scientists has already come to the conclusion: “There is a relationship between the size of the ripples and the atmospheric pressure on the surface of Mars.”
This investigation also makes it possible to interpret the “sedimentary record” of this planet, which opens the door to discovering what led to one of the most important events in the history of Mars: “Knowing when and how an important part of Mars was lost. atmosphere”, which made it “dry, cold and dry”, when before it was “water on its surface”.
The paper explaining this model for analyzing wind ripples on Mars – Restricting the mechanisms of formation of the Aeolian floor shape on Mars through a global morphological survey – can be read here.
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