According to a team of planetary scientists led by Dr Manuel Roda from the Utrecht University, a huge impact crater on Mars known as Aram Chaos formed as a result of catastrophic melting and outflow of a buried ice lake.
View of Aram Chaos with elevation map. Image credit: Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University.
Chaotic terrains are enigmatic features, stretching up to hundreds of kilometers across, that are distinctive to Mars. The mechanism by which they formed has been poorly understood by scientists.
Aram Chaos measures about 280 km (170 miles) across and 4 km (2.5 miles) deep. It lies at the eastern end of the large canyon Valles Marineris.
The new study, reported on Friday at the 2013 European Planetary Science Congress in London, United Kingdom, combines observations from satellite photos of the crater and models of the ice melting process and resulting catastrophic outflow.
Aram Chaos Reveals Ancient Ice Lake on Mars
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