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Description

* Higher resolution version of this map available [14227x7114 - 43Mb]

This map shows the planet Mars during the late Noachian Period, around 3.8 billion years ago, labelled with modern feature names, as well as the locations of the 7 successful Mars landers.

Until around 3.5 billion years ago, Mars had a thicker atmosphere and the planet was warmer than it is at present, and evidence suggests that liquid water flowed on its surface, carving the many river channels that remain there today. It is believed that most of this water was carried away into space over time by solar wind, and that which remains on Mars today is frozen in the polar ice caps, and buried across the planet under the surface layer of dust. All the lakes shown on this map are theorized to have existed around this time.

This map uses modern terrain data so it doesn't truly reflect how the terrain really would have looked back then. Many present day geologic (areologic) features and craters had yet to form or were in the process of forming, such as the Tharsis or Olympus volcanoes and the Valles Marineris canyon. During this time period Mars would have actually appeared to be more grey like the Moon or the planet Mercury, as the iron in the soil had yet to rust.

Description

* Higher resolution version of this map available [14227x7114 - 43Mb]

This map shows the planet Mars during the late Noachian Period, around 3.8 billion years ago, labelled with modern feature names, as well as the locations of the 7 successful Mars landers.

Until around 3.5 billion years ago, Mars had a thicker atmosphere and the planet was warmer than it is at present, and evidence suggests that liquid water flowed on its surface, carving the many river channels that remain there today. It is believed that most of this water was carried away into space over time by solar wind, and that which remains on Mars today is frozen in the polar ice caps, and buried across the planet under the surface layer of dust. All the lakes shown on this map are theorized to have existed around this time.

This map uses modern terrain data so it doesn't truly reflect how the terrain really would have looked back then. Many present day geologic (areologic) features and craters had yet to form or were in the process of forming, such as the Tharsis or Olympus volcanoes and the Valles Marineris canyon. During this time period Mars would have actually appeared to be more grey like the Moon or the planet Mercury, as the iron in the soil had yet to rust.