Mars Jerry Bhardwaj

.docx

School

Georgia State University *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

1010

Subject

Geography

Date

Jan 9, 2024

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by ChefStraw25391

Landscapes of Mars ASTR 1010 Name: Overview In this activity you will use elevation maps and images of the surface of Mars to compare its geography to Earth. As part of this process you will also explore evidence to support the claim that Mars had flowing water in the past. Finally, you will learn about the Tharsis Bulge on Mars and discuss the history of volcanic activity on Mars. Objectives After completing this activity students will be able to: • Interpret elevation maps of Earth and Mars • Use elevation maps to determine the direction of water flows on Earth and Mars • Discuss two geographic examples of evidence for past water flows on Mars • Describe what the Tharsis Bulge region is on Mars • Explain how surface smoothness and cratering relate to past volcanic activity on Mars **Note: If a question is labeled “ THOUGHT QUESTION” we are looking for you to show critical thinking/justification in your answer, not a “correct” answer** Definitions Here are some terms that we will be using today in lab: • Elevation Maps – Geographic maps that have been color coded so that different colors indicate different vertical elevations. White, red, and orange colors typically indicate high elevation areas such as mountains or plateaus. Black, blue, and green colors typically indicate low elevation areas such as valleys or craters. • Kasei Valles & Eberswalde Crater Delta – Two different geographic regions on the surface of Mars that show indications of past water flow. • Tharsis Bulge – A region of high elevation on the surface of Mars that hosts volcanos, canyons, smooth terrain, and few craters. 1 Jerry Bhardwaj

Part 1. Elevation Maps of Earth and Mars To understand elevation maps, you will start by looking at the familiar geography of Georgia and the surrounding southeast region. Open the Elevation Map of Georgia found here: https://en - us.topographic - map.com/maps/ec/Georgia/ . Notice the color bar to the right of the map. Higher elevations are shown in white, red, and orange. These are the Appalachian Mountains. Lower elevations are shown in green and blue. This is the coastal plain. The lowest elevation is 0 feet at sea level. Clicking anywhere on the elevation map will tell you the elevation at that point, measured in feet (ft). Use this to answer the following questions. 1. Click on several spots in the region of mountains in north Georgia to get a sense of their elevation. What is the typical elevation of the mountains, in units of feet? You do not have to be exact; an estimate will do. The average seems to be about 2100-2300 feet 2. Do the same around Atlanta. What is the typical elevation of Atlanta? 1000 feet 3. What is the typical elevation around Savannah, GA? 25-30 feet You will now explore an elevation map of Mars. Open the Elevation Map of Mars found here: https://www.google.com/mars/ . Zoom out slightly so that you can see all of Mars within the map. North is at the top and south is at the bottom. The equator of Mars runs left and right through the middle of the map. East is on the right and west is on the left. As you move east or west, the map simply repeats itself over and over. The color scheme is the same as the Earth map, with higher elevations shown in white, red, and orange, while lower elevations are shown in green and blue. The numbers next to the color bar in the lower left corner now indicate the elevation in kilometers (km). Mars does not have liquid water on its surface, so there is no sea level to provide a zero point for elevation like there is on Earth. Instead, scientists choose a particular elevation as the zero point and measure relative to that. This causes some locations to have negative elevations, such as large impact basins. You can search for the specific named locations referred to in the following questions using the search bar above the map. 2

4. The highest elevation on Mars is the peak of Olympus Mons, an enormous volcano near the center of the map. Based on the colormap and color bar, what is the highest elevation at the peak of Olympus Mons, in units of kilometers? You do not have to be exact, simply provide an estimate. About 23 km 5. Mount Everest on Earth has an elevation of 8.85 kilometers, making it smaller than Olympus Mons! How much taller is Olympus Mons compared to Mount Everest, in units of kilometers? The actual mountain is about 25km tall, so Mons would be 16ish km taller than Everest 6. The lowest elevation on Mars is within Hellas Planitia, a large impact crater in the southern hemisphere. Based on the colormap and color bar, what is the lowest elevation in Hellas Planitia, in units of kilometers? You do not have to be exact, just provide an estimate. This could be a negative number. It's about 6 km deep 7. Based on the height of Mount Everest provided in Question 5 and your answer to Question 6, would Mount Everest be able to stand upright inside of Hellas Planitia without poking over the top of the crater? It wouldn't be able to stand without poking up top since the mountain is taller than the depth of the crater Don’t close your Mars topographical map! You will need it for part 2! 3

Part 2. Water on Earth and Mars You are now ready to study how water has shaped the geography of Earth and Mars. Open a new browser tab and go to the Elevation Map of Vinings, Georgia - https://en us.topographic - map.com/maps/e8i3/Vinings/ - and the surrounding area. The Chattahoochee River flows from north to south, as indicated by the lower elevation blue areas. Rain that falls in higher elevation areas such as Smyrna and Sandy Springs flows downhill into the Chattahoochee River. Over time, this flow of water from high elevations to low elevations has eroded the surface, creating channels along the river. Return to the Elevation Map of Mars and search for “Kasei Valles.” This will put two pins down in a region north of the equator. Zoom in to study this area more closely. Kasei Valles is a canyon system thought to have been created by a catastrophic flood in the distant past. Use this view of Kasei Valles, combined with what you just learned above about how water flows on Earth, to answer the following questions. 8. Did the Kasei Valles floodwaters flow from west to east (left to right) or east to west (right to left)? Explain your reasoning using the elevation map. It looks like they flow from west to east because there is more depth on the right side, meaning more erosion. And there are more channels that have been created. Now zoom out to the full Mars elevation map and consider the general elevation differences between the northern and southern halves of Mars. 9. If Mars ever had an ocean, would it more likely be located in the northern or the southern hemisphere of Mars? Explain your reasoning using the elevation map. The northern hemisphere would more likely have oceans because there are erosion lines that can be seen, along with it getting deeper at the edges and being below 0km. After it passes through Atlanta, the Chattahoochee River continues to flow south until it reaches the border of Florida, where it joins other water sources and becomes the Apalachicola River. It then flows into the Gulf of Mexico, creating a delta. In a delta, a single large river fans out into many smaller streams. Images of the Apalachicola River Delta can be seen in Figure 1 on the next page. 4

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help