A survey of long-term observational behavior of various martian features that affect some recently proposed interpretations

Abstract

In recent years an unprecedented surge of papers and articles has appeared in which various authors interpret the features and conditions on Mars. In many cases it is obvious that there was little or no personal telescopic acquaitance with the appearance of Mars under very favorable viewing conditions, nor with the complex behavior of various features and phenomena throughout all of the martian seasons. This trend can lead to a dangerous amount of misinformation and confusion. The study of Mars requires a familiarity with several different disciplines that few have met. It requires 15 years to follow Mars through one equivalent year of seasonal changes; at least two or three times 15 years is necessary to discern secular changes from the regular seasonal changes. One needs to peruse a long list of papers in the disciplines of physics, geology, meteorology, and biology to sift the evidence. A consideration of the life history of solar-type stars, the stability of the solar system, and paleoclimatology shows that Mars could never have provided an environment of other than cool to frigid temperatures and a dry climate. Consequently, the role of water on martian geology would have been very insignificant. Water denudation and the formation of marine sedimentary rocks could never have occurred. Some volcanism probably occurred. The canals and angular maria probably are features of extensive crustal faulting. The surface would be highly cratered by asteroid impacts; the round dark dots may represent impact sites. The considerable seasonal differences in maria color, polar cap phenomena, and climate between the northern and southern hemispheres appear to be related to the perihelion and aphelion positions in the orbit. Many proposed explanations of the nature of the various features are simply not supported by the complex observed phenomena. The author proposes some explanations that appear to be in accord with his experience with the planet Mars.