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The northern part is an enormous topographic depression. About one-third of the surface (mostly in the northern hemisphere) lies 3–6 km lower in elevation than the southern two-thirds. This is a first-order relief feature on par with the elevation difference between Earth's continents and ocean basins. [12]
Like the Earth, the crustal properties and structure of the surface of Mars are thought to have evolved through time; in other words, as on Earth, tectonic processes have shaped the planet. However, both the ways this change has happened and the properties of the planet's lithosphere are very different when compared to the Earth.
Fretted terrain – Surface feature common to certain areas of Mars; Geology of Mars – Scientific study of the surface, crust, and interior of the planet Mars; Glacier – Persistent body of ice that moves downhill under its own weight; Glaciers on Mars – Extraterrestrial bodies of ice; Lobate debris apron – Geological features on Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun.The surface of Mars is orange-red because it is covered in iron(III) oxide dust, giving it the nickname "the Red Planet". [22] [23] Mars is among the brightest objects in Earth's sky, and its high-contrast albedo features have made it a common subject for telescope viewing.
Mars is differentiated, which—for a terrestrial planet—implies that it has a central core made up of high density matter (mainly metallic iron and nickel) surrounded by a less dense, silicate mantle and crust. [4] Like Earth, Mars appears to have a molten iron core, or at least a molten outer core. [5]
The same methodology was later applied to the Moon [1] and then to Mars. [2] Another stratigraphic principle used on planets where impact craters are well preserved is that of crater number density. The number of craters greater than a given size per unit surface area (usually a million km 2) provides a relative age for that surface. Heavily ...
On Earth, the zero elevation datum is based on sea level (the geoid). Since Mars has no oceans and hence no 'sea level', it is convenient to define an arbitrary zero-elevation level or "vertical datum" for mapping the surface, called areoid. [9] The datum for Mars was defined initially in terms of a constant atmospheric pressure.
This has been estimated at over 2,000 pounds per square foot (9,800 kg/m 2) for a pressurized habitat on the surface of Mars, which is radically increased compared to Earth structures. [7] A closer comparison can be made to crewed high-altitude aircraft, which must withstand forces of 1,100 to 1,400 pounds per square foot (5,400 to 6,800 kg/m 2 ...