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Iceland land of volcanoes and hot springs, ancient magic and cutting edge green energy has been Earth s stand-in for Mars for a bit now.
When researchers want to test equipment meant for Mars s climate and surface, they often turn to Instagram s favorite island nation. But new research shows Iceland may be an apt analogue for ancient Mars s climate, as well.
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Iceland s alien-looking terrain is formed by quickly cooling lava; this basaltic surface, combined with cool temperatures, sandy dunes, and areas of fresh lava fields lacking in vegetation and topsoil, makes it an able stand-in for the Red Planet.
Mars Once Had Lakes, Rivers and Climate Mimicking Today s Iceland. So What Went Wrong?
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Though all our eight planets are wildly different from one another today, some similarities can still be spotted. Even if our environment and topography separate us from the rest, we may be able to find morphological similarities with other planets during various stages of development. One such theory being proposed is that a crater on Mars might have been very closely similar to Iceland, 3 billion years ago. The similarity is based on weather, topography, and so on between the two formations.
Once upon a time, The Gale Crater’s seasons might have been exactly like today’s Iceland. The observation was made by Rice University scientists with data from Curiosity Mars Rover.
While the science team used data supplied by Curiosity rover in their research, they also had to search for rocks and soils on Earth that were similar to those on Mars.
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Mars Felt Like Iceland 3 Billion Years Ago
Once upon a time, seasons in Gale Crater probably felt something like those in Iceland. But nobody was there to bundle up more than 3 billion years ago.
The ancient Martian crater is the focus of a study by Rice University scientists comparing data from the Curiosity rover to places on Earth where similar geologic formations have experienced weathering in different climates.
Iceland’s basaltic terrain and cool weather, with temperatures typically less than 38 degrees Fahrenheit, turned out to be the closest analog to ancient Mars. The study determined that temperature had the biggest impact on how rocks formed from sediment deposited by ancient Martian streams were weathered by climate.