Martian Climate in the Past

There is much debate regarding the history of Mars. Some believe that Mars once housed large quantities of water and had a warm atmosphere that was much denser. Water flowed over the surface, cutting large canals into it.

Proponents of the idea that Mars once had liquid water on its surface speculate that during its first 1000 million years, Mars was warmed by an atmosphere containing greenhouse gases that would enable liquid water to form on the surface and allow clays to form. During this era, known as Noeica, Mars was a capable of harboring life.

After that, there was a period of climate change. A new era began 3800 to 3500 million years and continues to the current time, having lasted for almost the entire history of the planet. This is the era of the Mars that we know today, dry and cold.

The water in the Martian atmosphere has five times more vapor than on Earth. This anomaly is also found on Venus. Scientists have interpreted this as meaning that the two planets had much water in the past but ended up losing it.

Recent discoveries of NASA's robot missions support the hypothesis of a wet past.

In late 2005, a controversy arose over how to explain the presence of certain rock formations. Some said that their formation required the presence of water.

An alternative explanation reduced the need for water to much smaller quantities and reduced the high seas to a simple equatorial lake.

Some scientists have criticized the fact that NASA is investigating only in one direction, looking for evidence of a wet Mars, and discarding the other scenarios.