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Running Water on Mars?

1 Photographic evidence suggests that liquid water once existed in great quantity on the surface of

Mars. Two types of flow features are seen: runoff channels and outflow channels. Runoff channels

are found in the southern highlands. These flow features are extensive systems—sometimes

hundreds of kilometers in total length—of interconnecting, twisting channels that seem to merge

into larger, wider channels. They bear a strong resemblance to river systems on Earth, and geologists

think they are dried-up beds of long-gone rivers that once carried rainfall on Mars from the

mountains down into the valleys. Runoff channels on Mars speak of a time 4 billion years ago (the

age of the Martian highlands), when the atmosphere was thicker, the surface warmer, and liquid

water widespread.

2 Outflow channels are probably relics of catastrophic flooding on Mars long ago. They appear only

in equatorial regions and generally do not form extensive interconnected networks. Instead, they are

probably the paths taken by huge volumes of water draining from the southern highlands into the

northern plains. The onrushing water arising from these flash floods likely also formed the odd

teardrop-shaped “islands” (resembling the miniature versions seen in the wet sand of our beaches at

low tide) that have been found on the plains close to the ends of the outflow channels. Judging from

the width and depth of the channels, the flow rates must have been truly enormous—perhaps as

much as a hundred times greater than the 105 tons per second carried by the great Amazon river.

Flooding shaped the outflow channels approximately 3 billion years ago, about the same time as the

northern volcanic plains formed.

3 Some scientists speculate that Mars may have enjoyed an extended early period during which

rivers, lakes, and perhaps even oceans adorned its surface. A 2003 Mars Global Surveyor image

shows what mission specialists think may be a delta—a fan-shaped network of channels and

sediments where a river once flowed into a larger body of water, in this case a lake filling a crater in
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the southern highlands. Other researchers go even further, suggesting that the data provide

evidence for large open expanses of water on the early Martian surface. A computer-generated view

of the Martian north polar region shows the extent of what may have been an ancient ocean

covering much of the northern lowlands. The Hellas Basin, which measures some 3,000 kilometers

across and has a floor that lies nearly 9 kilometers below the basin’s rim, is another candidate for an

ancient Martian sea.

4.These ideas remain controversial. Proponents point to features such as the terraced “beaches”

shown in one image, which could conceivably have been left behind as a lake or ocean evaporated

and the shoreline receded. But detractors maintain that the terraces could also have been created by

geological activity, perhaps related to the geologic forces that depressed the Northern Hemisphere

far below the level of the south, in which case they have nothing whatever to do with Martian water.

Furthermore, Mars Global Surveyor data released in 2003 seem to indicate that the Martian surface

contains too few carbonate rock layers—layers containing compounds of carbon and oxygen—that

should have been formed in abundance in an ancient ocean. Their absence supports the picture of a

cold, dry Mars that never experienced the extended mild period required to form lakes and oceans.

However, more recent data imply that at least some parts of the planet did in fact experience long

periods in the past during which liquid water existed on the surface.

5 Aside from some small-scale gullies (channels) found since 2000, which are inconclusive,

astronomers have no direct evidence for liquid water anywhere on the surface of Mars today, and

the amount of water vapor in the Martian atmosphere is tiny. Yet even setting aside the unproven

hints of ancient oceans, the extent of the outflow channels suggests that a huge total volume of

water existed on Mars in the past. Where did all the water go? The answer may be that virtually all

the water on Mars is now locked in the permafrost layer under the surface, with more contained in

the planet’s polar caps.

Directions: Now, answer the questions based on the assigned text

1. The word “merge” in the passage is closest in meaning to

(A) expand

(B) separate

(C) straighten out

(D) combine

2. The word “relics” in the passage is closest in meaning to

(A) remains

(B) sites

(C) requirements

(D) sources

3. In paragraph 2, why does the author include the information that 105 tons of water

flow through the Amazon river per second?

(A) To emphasize the great size of the volume of water that seems to have flowed through

Mars’ outflow channels

(B) To indicate data used by scientists to estimate how long ago Mars’ outflow channels were

formed

(C) To argue that flash floods on Mars may have been powerful enough to cause tear-shaped

“islands” to form
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(D) To argue that the force of flood waters on Mars was powerful enough to shape the

northern volcanic plains

4. According to paragraph 2, all of the following are true of the outflow channels on

Mars EXCEPT:

(A) They formed at around the same time that volcanic activity was occurring on the northern

plains.

(B) They are found only on certain parts of the Martian surface.

(C) They sometimes empty onto what appear to have once been the wet sands of tidal

beaches.

(D) They are thought to have carried water northward from the equatorial regions.

5. All of the following questions about geological features on Mars are answered in

paragraph 3

EXCEPT:

(A) What are some regions of Mars that may have once been covered with an ocean?

(B) Where do mission scientists believe that the river forming the delta emptied?

(C) Approximately how many craters on Mars do mission scientists believe may once have

been lakes filled with water?

(D) During what period of Mars’ history do some scientists think it may have had large bodies

of water?

6. According to paragraph 3, images of Mars’ surface have been interpreted as support for the

idea that
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(A) the polar regions of Mars were once more extensive than they are now

(B) a large part of the northern lowlands may once have been under water

(C) deltas were once a common feature of the Martian landscape

(D) the shape of the Hellas Basin has changed considerably over time

7. What can be inferred from paragraph 3 about liquid water on Mars?

(A) Lakes on early Mars were likely as large as some on Earth’s surface today.

(B) If there is any liquid water at all on Mars’ surface today, its quantity is much smaller than

the amount that likely existed there in the past.

(C) Small-scale gullies on Mars provide convincing evidence that liquid water existed on

Mars inthe recent past.

(D) The small amount of water vapor in the Martian atmosphere suggests that there has never

beenliquid water on Mars.

8. According to paragraph 4, what do the 2003 Global Surveyor data suggest about Mars?

(A) Ancient oceans on Mars contained only small amounts of carbon.

(B) The climate of Mars may not have been suitable for the formation of large bodies of

water.

(C) Liquid water may have existed on some parts of Mars’ surface for long periods of time.

(D) The ancient oceans that formed on Mars dried up during periods of cold, dry weather.
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Running Water on Mars?

 Write a summary regarding the article; it should be three paragraphs long and

well structured. I am looking for proper grammar, punctuation, and parallel

structure. This is worth two points from your first part of the test.