How massive volcanoes gave Mars a makeover

[stephaniec]

How massive volcanoes gave Mars a makeover

http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/03/world/volcanoes-mars-irpt/index.html

CNN/By Jareen Imam, CNN Updated 1:56 PM ET, Thu March 3, 2016

"(CNN)—Massive Martian volcanoes reshaped the Red Planet billions of years ago into what it is today, new research shows.

Powerful volcanic activity literally moved the planet, according to a study published in the journal of Nature on Wednesday. These findings join a list of other factors that may have changed Mars into the cold, dry planet we now know. "

[Joelene9]

  This has been known for a long time. Close-up imagery of the Tharsis and Olympus Mons volcanoes shows a thick layer of ash covering a wide area surrounding these features. Other areas shows that there was a presence of liquid water as seen with the clay and salt deposits found over the past two decades. The massive vulcanization may cause a quicker cooling of its core causing Mars to lose its dynamo there that would produce a magnetic field. This cooling is the same as using an aerosol can and observing that the can feels cool as you spray the contents out of it. A strong enough magnetic field would prevent the stripping of the atmosphere and the water by the solar wind over time.
  Venus is slowly losing its atmosphere as well. The Saturn moon Titan has a thick atmosphere with no real magnetic field, but it is farther out and it is protected by the giant magnetic field of Saturn. There are a lot of exposed snow on these other moons out past Saturn.

Joelene