Mars' tilt is currently comparable to Earth's. However, millions of years ago, its axis shifted significantly, possibly causing a catastrophic water leak. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
A new study suggests that dramatic changes in the tilt of Mars's spin axis over the past 20 million years may have caused the planet's devastation. The findings could help shed light on the mystery of how Mars, once home to lakes, rivers and possibly oceans, lost its water supply.
Today, most of Mars' surface is dry, dusty desert. Astronomers believe that most of the planet's remaining water is frozen in fine-grained soil, with ice concentrated in the polar regions.
But the Red Planet wasn’t always so barren. Gullies, lake beds, and valleys captured by early NASA missions like Viking indicate that the surface of Mars has been periodically covered by billions of gallons of liquid water since its formation. Planetary scientists estimate that the volume of water that formed these geological features was equivalent to a layer at least 100 meters thick across the entire surface of the planet.
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