Terra Cimmeria

Terra Cimmeria is a large Martian region, centered at 34°42′S 145°00′E / 34.7°S 145°E / -34.7; 145 and covering 5,400 km (3,400 mi) at its broadest extent.

Terra Cimmeria is one part of the heavily cratered, southern highland region of the planet.

[2] A high altitude visual phenomena, probably a condensation cloud,[3] was seen above this region in late March 2012.

Various measurements and calculations show that liquid water could exist in aquifers at the usual depths where gullies begin.

[13] One variation of this model is that rising hot magma could have melted ice in the ground and caused water to flow in aquifers.

[15] As for the next theory, much of the surface of Mars is covered by a thick smooth mantle that is thought to be a mixture of ice and dust.

[16][17][18] This ice-rich mantle, a few yards thick, smooths the land, but in places it has a bumpy texture, resembling the surface of a basketball.

[23] Changes in Mars's orbit and tilt cause significant changes in the distribution of water ice from polar regions down to latitudes equivalent to Texas.

The water comes back to ground at lower latitudes as deposits of frost or snow mixed generously with dust.

This movement of water could last for several thousand years and create a snow layer of up to around 10 m (33 ft) thick.

During a warmer climate, the first few meters of ground could thaw and produce a "debris flow" similar to those on the dry and cold Greenland east coast.

[29] Since the gullies occur on steep slopes only a small decrease of the shear strength of the soil particles is needed to begin the flow.

Researchers believe these magnetic stripes on Mars are evidence for a short, early period of plate tectonic activity.

On Mars, dunes are often dark in color because they were formed from the common, volcanic rock basalt.

At that time, the solid carbon dioxide (dry ice) sublimates or changes directly to a gas and rushes away at high speeds.

Each Martian year 30% of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere freezes out and covers the pole that is experiencing winter, so there is a great potential for strong winds.