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This timeframe is the earliest part of the Noachian Period, which ranges from about 4.1 to about 3.7 billion years ago, and was characterized by high rates of meteorite impacts, widespread erosion of the Martian surface and the likely presence of abundant surface water. Three times as much surface area dates to the first major geologic time period - the Early Noachian Epoch - than was previously mapped. The USGS-led mapping effort reveals that the Martian surface is generally older than previously thought.
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“The new geologic map brings this research together into a holistic context that helps to illuminate key relationships in space and time, providing information to generate and test new hypotheses.” "Spacecraft exploration of Mars over the past couple decades has greatly improved our understanding of what geologic materials, events and processes shaped its surface," said USGS scientist and lead author, Dr. This new global geologic map of Mars, as well as the recent global geologic maps of Jupiter’s moons Ganymede and Io, also illustrates the overall importance of geologic mapping as an essential tool for the exploration of the solar system.
#USGS GEOLOGIC MAP VIEWER DOWNLOAD#
The result is an updated understanding of the geologic history of the surface of Mars – the solar system’s most Earth-like planet and the only other one in our Sun’s “habitable zone.” The new geologic map of Mars is available for download online.įor hundreds of years, geologic maps have helped drive scientific thought. The new map brings together observations and scientific findings from four orbiting spacecraft that have been acquiring data for more than 16 years. This map provides a framework for continued scientific investigation of Mars as the long-range target for human space exploration. A new global geologic map of Mars –the most thorough representation of the "Red Planet's" surface – has been published by the U.S.