The surface of Mars formed by ancient tornadoes

The weather on Mars is rather inhospitable. Firstly, about every three Martian years on the Red Planet, giant dust storms rage that raise so much dust that they can be seen from Earth. Secondly, giant cyclones can rise more than 9.6 km into the sky. The wind speed during these storms can reach 113 kilometers per hour. And recently, scientists have discovered that in ancient times, Mars felt "side tornadoes" on itself - powerful wind turbulence that largely shaped the current surface of the planet.

Craters and stripes

Ancient tornadoes were similar to our earthly tornadoes located horizontally. In this form, they rolled around the planet at a speed of about 800 kilometers per hour. These ancient tornadoes were discovered by Peter Schulz, a geologist at Brown University, who examined images captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey orbital probe several years ago.

Photo: NASA / JPL-CALTECH / ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY

Schultz noticed strange bright bands that spread from several large impact craters. These bands are visible only in thermal imaging images taken during the Martian night. Perhaps that is why they were not noticed before. Schultz decided to solve the mystery of the mysterious bands.

The ripple effect

Since the bands emanated from the craters resulting from the collision of asteroids and other large bodies with Mars, Schulz applied computer simulation of impacts. These tracks can extend over 115 km from the point of impact. Together with graduate student Stephanie Quintana, Schultz eventually found an explanation for the strange phenomenon.

When asteroids crashed into Mars at great speed, they lifted tons of dust and small stones - partly from the asteroid itself, partly from the surface of Mars. This substance formed a trail of dusty suspension that was pushed outward from the point of impact with supersonic speed. Interacting with the atmosphere of Mars, they generated strong turbulences.