back to article Ancient crater lake evidence found on Mars

A satellite from the European Space Agency (ESA) has photographed the meandering channels of a dried-out river on the surface of Mars. The Eberswalde crater contains a rare case of a Martian delta (box 3). Channels (box 2) which fed the lake in the crater are very well-preserved. According to the ESA, the delta deposits and …

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  1. Tom 7

    If it had filled to form a lake

    then there would be noticeable shorelines etc.

    If, however, the fans and streams are merely dry dust/sand and rock flows - which it looks like to me - then there wont be.

    I'd love there to be use-able water on Mars but pretending its the only thing that can create these features is going to get us no where and may waste a few billion on a trip to see something you can find in a sandpit here on earth.

    It is not a dried out river - it was a river of dry material flowing like a liquid. Earthquakes (or nearby meteorite strikes) shake the rubble into a liquid type form and it flows in ways similar to a liquid.

    The only other explanation would be for a localised rainstorm of unimaginable power over that little area and nowhere else nearby.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      its not that unreasonable

      to wonder if the scientists might be a bit too-inclined to assume the features are water-related, rather than being due to something else.

      But if you are going to insist that they are flat out wrong, then you either need to demonstrate why we should treat you as an authority on such matters, or (even better) explain exactly why and how they are mistaken.

  2. This post has been deleted by its author

    1. Tom 7

      Go play in your sandpit

      no really - try it. Use really dry fine sand and gravel and pour it down runs and over 'waterfalls' and into 'lakes'. It makes deltas.

      You can come round and play in my sandpit of you like but try it at home - you'll find you can make it yourself.

      To emulate mars on this scale you might want to try very dry sieved flour and use loudspeakers to agitate the ground to emulate earthquake shocks and get things flowing.

      So I can - and so can you - and so can Nasa and the ESA.

      Or you might just want to read a bit about it on the web. There are many records of landslides covering villages on valley floors with ... delta features.

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