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Coastal Shelf

All articles tagged with #coastal shelf

science1 month ago•74 min saved

Mars hints at a long-lived ocean through a vast ancient coastline

New analysis of Martian topography identifies a broad, flat coastal shelf in the planet’s northern hemisphere that would have sat roughly 1,800–3,800 meters below ancient sea level, suggesting a global ocean may have covered about a third of Mars for millions of years; accompanying delta patterns align with shorelines, making a long-lived ocean a plausible part of Mars’ past and guiding where sedimentary evidence of life might be found by future missions.

via Space|

#ancient-ocean #bathtub-ring #coastal-shelf

science1 month ago•179 min saved

Mars may have hosted a vast ancient ocean, researchers propose

NASA-backed simulations suggest Mars may have once been largely covered by an ocean, potentially about one-third of the planet, leaving behind a broad, flat coastal shelf around where shorelines would have been. Using Earth analogs and Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter data, researchers say this signature—larger and more durable than a shoreline—could indicate a past ocean, though the lack of plate tectonics on Mars makes the case not definitive. If confirmed, the coastal shelf would provide a tangible target for future observations, including ESA's Rosalind Franklin rover, to help explain Mars' wetter past and its water loss.

via CNN|

#ancient-ocean #coastal-shelf #continental-shelf

science1 month ago•51 min saved

Mars’s ancient ocean signature may lie in a global coastal shelf, not shorelines

Researchers show that Earth’s strongest ocean topographic signal is a broad continental shelf with low slope and curvature, not a single shoreline. When this method is applied to Mars, a distinct flat zone between about −1,800 m and −3,800 m emerges, suggesting a preserved coastal shelf and, by extension, a long-lived Martian ocean. The zone aligns with deltaic and river-form deposits and with previously proposed shorelines, supporting the coastal-shelf view as a robust indicator of ancient oceans on Mars, even in a world lacking plate tectonics.

via Nature|

#ancient-ocean #coastal-shelf #deltas