Two NASA researchers (Carol Stoker and Larry Lemke of Ames Research Center) are claiming that there is evidence of (microbial) life on Mars. Their research, which is under peer-review for publication in journal Nature in May, suggests that small pockets of life, sustained by underground water, might be found in Martian caves. Mars has a deep network of caves/ravines, which are nearly completely isolated from sunlight and duststorms that ravage the surface. High concentrations of methane gas have recently been detected by the martian rovers, and ESA's Mars Express orbiter. Methane on earth is produced through biological processes, and it is being suggested that the martian methane might also have a similar origin.
Martian Landscape (Courtesy: NASA)
Move over Little Green Men! Here come the Littler Red Microbes :-):-).
Martian Landscape (Courtesy: NASA)
Move over Little Green Men! Here come the Littler Red Microbes :-):-).
Life On Mars?
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But, at tens of thousands of years ago, Mars was impacted by two huge asteroids which created the Tharsis bulge on the opposing side of the planet.
There's also a great deal of evidence for a displacement of water with the equivalent volume of the Mediterranean sea, which was evacuated in an extraordinarily short period of time, probably by the impact of a large body.
At around the same geological time, the Earth was given a couple of jolts at 9,000 and 13,000 BC with many scientists thinking that the latter impact was so powerful, the entire lithosphere of the Earth was shifted 12 degrees in a southerly direction.
And believe it or not, this forms the basis of one of the theories for the last island of Atlantis...
The 9000BC and 11300BC impacts are both claimed to be linked to Atlantis. For example, see In straits of Gibraltar. This site also gives a nice breakdown of all cometary impacts.
Another theory is regarding the Black Sea. Robert Ballard is currently investigating the bottom of that sea. Theory is the sea was once a fresh-water lake. At the end of the ice-age, the Bosporus Strait on the south-west broke, letting in seawater, and submerging the population.
This is supposedly the origins of both Atlantis, and Noah (some people there could escape via boats and such).
Lucretia: I think the "Red Planet" team took a lot their pictures from NASA (they must have had technical advisor from NASA), so it is possible that this kind of image was used. Or perhaps they put a earth scene through a red filter!
That's actually slightly on-topic...
For me the tie-in with the Earth crust movement places Antarctica right in the front seat.
One of the legends is of Atlantis: 'disappearing into the ocean.'
Now, wouldn't it also be correct to say a ship is disappearing into the ocean when it sails away?
Plus, a very old map of Antarctica was found by the Turkish naval Admiral Piri Reis in 1513 and was studied by the American air force for authenticity. Needless to say, the map passed.
In fact, in the words of Lt. Col. Harold Z. Ohlmeyer: "We have no idea how the data on this map can be reconciled with the supposed state of geographical knowledge in 1513."
Even more intriguing was the fact that the map was already ancient by the time it was discovered in 1513, and the map shows quite correctly and accurately the entire land mass of Antarctica as it is beneath the ice sheet.
When the map was examined july 1960, knowledge of the land beneath the snow and ice or Antarctica had only just been properly verified. Not until the advent of satellite technology would greater definition be brought to bare.
The interesting thing about this is, the map is as accurate as any we have today. But the last time Antarctica was free of ice was over 9,000 years ago .. long before many things had been discovered which would have been pivotal in mapping such a massive area, not least the ability to plot longitudinal measurements.
In fact, when the map was first discovered -- prior to longitudinal measurements being possible -- most believed the map to be wrong because contemporaneous measurements showed otherwise.
Strange then that 9,000 years ago, a 12 degree Earth crust displacement by a meteoroid / asteroid impact is exactly the measurement required to move a land mass the size of Antarctica from what we would call the mid Atlantic to the souther polar region...
However, I dont think Antarctica was ever in the Atlantic (at least not in the last 9000 years). 9000 years is too short a time. Such a large continent cannot move so fast, and stop moving so fast. A lot of heat would be generated if that were the case, which would partly melt the continent! No such evidence of melting has been found. Normally, contitnents move a few cm per year, and so has been the case with Antarctica.
The idea is that entire lithosphere of the Earth moved: that's the sheet that all of the tectonic plates reside on...
In an Antarctic survey in the 1900's a frozen orange grove was found many metres below the ice and snow.
Not any naturally occurring orange grove, a cultivated, row-ordered orange grove.
The evidence is real.
Plus, I think you're thinking of the lithosphere shifting very quickly. The process was in geological time. So we're talking about thousands of years of gradual movement...
I a not talking about a suddent shift. But 2000 miles in 12000 years is about 250 meters/year! In comparison, tectonic movements today amount to about few cms a year. Is there any evidence of such fast movement?
Lets see:
a) Area of antarctica = 14 million sqkm
b) Avg. Depth to crust = 8 km
c) Volume of antarctica = Area*Depth = 112 million cubic km. = 1.12*10^8 km^3
d) Avg. Density of rock = 2.7 g/cm^3 = 2.7*10^12 kg/km^3
e) Mass of antarctica = Volume*Density = 3.024*10^20 kg.
f) Speed: 250 meters/year = 8*10^-6 m/s.
g) Energy Release if antarctica stops moving: 0.5m*v^2 = 9.67 Giga-Joules.
h) This is enough to boil off 30,845 kg of water.
Not much.. so it is certainly possible! But remember that a lot of friction should be generated in the waters, so the heat generated should be larger than calculated here.
By the way, earth's precession period is about 26,000 years (2*13,000). It seems likely that perhaps Antarctica did not move, but earth moved?
Imagine the skin of an apple, and then the skin shifting around the inside. That's what's supposed to have happened.
It's not the kind of thing that happens all of the time, and there seems to be evidence that it's happened before, but you really do need something like a massive collision to get the thing going.
I don't have anything on the orange grove, I'm afraid.
Anyway, back on topic: do we think that there's life on Mars?
Given life is such a powerful force, and factoring in your previous article on what appears to point the genesis of life being something that appear destined to happen, I sort of feel that either life is just beginning to take off or it's recently been dealt the kicking of its life...
The future martian explorations have to ensure that no earth microbes/organisms pollute the pristine martian environment.
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