Little liquid water on Mars for past 4 billion years: study

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http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200507/s1420694.htm

Last Update: Saturday, July 23, 2005. 0:21am (AEST)

Little liquid water on Mars for past 4 billion years: study

A study of Martian meteorites shows that the surface of the red planet probably has not had significant amounts of free-standing liquid water for the last four billion years, according to a study published on Thursday in the US.

The meteorites indicate that the planet's surface temperature has not risen significantly above zero degrees celsius in that period, making the existence of large bodies of water unlikely, said researchers David Shuster of the California Institute of Technology and Benjamin Weiss of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Their conclusion leaves unanswered the reason for Mars' many geological features, which suggest the former presence of water, like deep gorges, dry river beds and sediment deposits.

Many planetologists believe that, during one epoch, the temperature on Mars was sufficiently warm to allow large bodies of water to form on the surface, shaping much of the landscape.

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