MRO Detects Glaciers on Mars
Category: General NewsPosted: November 20, 2008 08:11PM
Author: Nemo
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has spotted what scientists believe to be ice glaciers on the Martian surface lying under a layer of rocky debris. They're huge as well, with some stretching for many miles and up to a half a mile thick. Using a radar instrument donated by the Italian Space Agency, the MRO detected reflected radio waves bouncing back off the surface whose characteristics are consistent with areas covered by water ice. The areas where the glaciers were detected are near the middle latitudes of the planet, far from the polar regions where other signs of frozen water have been discovered. Scientists are not sure how the glaciers formed but are speculating they resulted from climate-related events.
