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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Simulation of the Planetary Interior Differentiation Processes in the Laboratory

Simulation of the Planetary Interior Differentiation Processes in the Laboratory

Published on: November 16, 2013

Early Mars: how warm and how wet?

S W Squyres¹, J F Kasting

¹Center for Radiophysics and Space Research, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.

Science (New York, N.Y.)

|August 5, 1994

Summary

Early Mars may have had liquid water due to geothermal heat and impacts, not just precipitation. Modest warming from greenhouse gases like methane could have supported surface water flow.

Area of Science:

Planetary Science
Climate Science
Geology

Background:

Early Mars exhibited fluvial erosion, suggesting a warmer, wetter climate.
A pure carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) atmosphere is insufficient for near-freezing temperatures.
Previous models struggled to explain sustained liquid water on early Mars.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate alternative mechanisms for early Martian climate warming.
To explore the role of geothermal and impact heat in enabling liquid water.
To assess the potential contribution of trace gases to Martian warming.

Main Methods:

Thermodynamic modeling of early Martian atmospheric conditions.
Analysis of heat sources including geothermal activity and impact events.

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Simulation of the Planetary Interior Differentiation Processes in the Laboratory

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Evaluation of greenhouse gas effects from methane (CH4), ammonia (NH3), and sulfur dioxide (SO2).

Main Results:

Hydrothermal convection, driven by geothermal and impact heat, is a viable mechanism for aquifer recharge and groundwater seepage.
A low-pressure CO2 atmosphere supplemented with trace gases (CH4, NH3, SO2) could provide necessary warming.
Episodic high obliquity events may have contributed to localized surface warming.

Conclusions:

Liquid water on early Mars may not solely depend on precipitation.
Geothermal heat and impacts likely played a crucial role in maintaining subsurface water.
Trace greenhouse gases and orbital variations offer plausible explanations for transient surface water.