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RunningWateronMars

火星上的流水

Photographicevidencesuggeststhatliquidwateronceexistedingreatquantityon

thesurfaceofMars.Twotypesofflowfeaturesareseen:runoffchannelsandoutflow

channels.Runoffchannelsarefoundinthesouthernhighlands.Theseflowfeaturesare

extensivesystems―sometimeshundredsofkilometersintotallength―of

interconnectinistingchannelsthatseemtomergeintolarger,widerchannels.They

bearastrongresemblancetoriversystemsonEarth,andgeologiststhinkthattheyare

dried-upbedsoflong-goneriversthatoncecarriedrainfallonMarsfromthemountains

downintothevalleys.RunoffchannelsonMarsspeakofatime4billionyearsago(the

ageoftheMartianhighlands),whentheatmospherewasthicker,thesurfacewarmer,

andliquidwaterwidespread.

显示，在火星的表面曾经存在过大量的液态水。两种流动形式已经

被发现：径流沟渠和外流沟渠。径流沟渠发现于南部的高地。这些流动特征有着

庞大的系统——有时竟有数百公里长，这些沟渠相互交错、扭转，并可能汇入更

大更宽的沟渠中。它们和地球上的河流系统非常相似，地质学家们认为它们是以

前曾将火星上的雨水从高山携带到峡谷中的那些河流干涸后的遗迹。火星上的径

流沟渠存在于40亿年以前（就是火星高地的），那时候火星的大气层更厚，

地表更暖和，并且液态水分布很广。

OutflowchannelsareprobablyrelicsofcatastrophicfloodingonMarslongago.

■Theyappearonlyinequatorialregionsandgenerallydonotformextensive

interconnectednetworks.■Instead,theyareprobablythepathstakenbyhugevolumes

ofwaterdrainingfromthesouthernhighlandsintothenorthernins.■Theonrushing

waterarisingfromtheseflashfloodslikelyalsoformedtheoddteardrop-shaped

“islands”(resemblingtheminiatureversionsseeninthewetsandofourbeachesatlow

tide)thathavebeenfoundontheinscloseto