But an area as large as the USA could have as much variability as the crust in the USA has. Some of it is more and some of it less suitable for typical geothermal power. And a little could be a lot for a Mars base/city.
I am moving my pointer on this to: "Index» Terraformation» Worlds, and World Engine type terraform stuff.", post #654.
Done
]]>Calliban: Really interesting news. I wonder if the poles were tilted so that it snowed at the equator in the last 100 million years. If so, then aquifers might have been filled. That is quite an energy target? I think maybe some of it will be reachable?
Done.
]]>Mars_B4_Moon said he is taking some time off.
You should be able to find his post easily.
Just ask FluxBB for all his posts by clicking on the Users button.
The posts will extend over many pages ...
happily, his taking-leave post is first in 191 pages.
(th)
]]>Scientists discover a giant mantle plume beneath the Elysium region on Mars. This is proof that the planet is still volcanically active. It also makes the presence of liquid ground water highly likely beneath the Elysium crust. Until recently, Mars was expected to be seismically inactive. This magma plume is larger than anythihg existing on Earth. It also originated within the past 100 million years, suggesting that volcanic activity has actually increased in recent geological history.
https://www.space.com/mars-recent-volca … ntle-plume
If you want liquid water, geothermal power, or scientific evidence of extant life, the Elysium region is the place to set up base.
]]>Italy PM gives go-ahead for 10-MW binary geothermal power plant in Tuscany
https://www.thinkgeoenergy.com/italy-pm … n-tuscany/
Japanese geothermal: can Japan really scale subterranean power?
https://www.power-technology.com/analys … s-nuclear/
New surprises from Mars: Volcanic rock, more signs of water in the past
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ne … 821807.cms
some other new mars discussion
Monster Earthquake on Mars
https://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=10251
On Earth, for example, volcanoes recycle carbon dioxide, which plants use, and also spew out plant-friendly ash. Hot springs are also a common feature of nearby volcanoes, and they form when heated rocks underground interact with groundwater. Despite the tough environment of hot springs - the high temperature and acidity, for example - certain organisms, such as extremophiles, live in this habitat. NOMAD will also hunt for a plethora of biologically and geologically relevant molecules, with a diverse mix of sulfur, chlorine, oxygen and nitrogen atoms.
Evidence of organic species on Mars is still under investigation, yet the Curiosity rover has recently reported definitive signs of organics on the surface of Mars, and also confirmed the existence of methane plumes in the atmosphere.
How a so small area in Hellas, probably 30 meters or so, can be 10/20 degres warmer than the surrounding
Actually, the IR camera used by THEMIS has a resolution of 100m / pixel. I think that the hot spot has a diameter of 10 pixels or 1 kilometre
What as the actual size of the area. While, I won't say Mars is volcanicly active, I am of the opinion it is not, until scientific evidence is shown to prove that it is. I do not believe we can do so tell we get a very hi resolution camera. KH-11 resolution if you will. That will require some highspeed infrastructure in place. Maybe two relay satellites in geo-synch orbit.
Realistically an underground hotsprings or some form of volcanic activity underground would create a warm spot of 10-20 degrees.
An actual eruption or volcanic outbreak would be much much warmer. I would expect discrepancies of over 200-300 degrees different.
]]>Here is a PDF document:
The Ice Towers of Mt. Erebus as analogues of biological refuges on Mars
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/sixthm … f/3105.pdf
The pictures of the hot spot in the hellas bassin are striking. How a so small area in Hellas, probably 30 meters or so, can be 10/20 degres warmer than the surrounding, day and night, irrespective of the light orientation, if not by some sort of internal heating process.
The fact that this is in Hellas, one of the lowest area on MArs is also interesting. Is it a coincidence ? maybe not.
Personally, I just don't find the olivine argument convincing enough (and I can't really say why other than that I think that those deposits could've been exposed quite long after the whole planet had frozen into a nice ball of ice), but perhaps we ought to take it to another thread!
]]>As I've been trying to point out elsewhere at New Mars, there's evidence for enormous flows of lava on Mars rather similar in appearance to the large outflows responsible for the Deccan and Siberian traps here on Earth. The scientists who discovered these Martian lava fields have estimated them to be quite young - possibly as recent as a few million years, or less!
It's particularly encouraging for me, as an Australian, to find that Dr. Hoffman is considering the prospect that these hotspots may be ice towers. As you will recall, Nick Hoffman has put forward the hypothesis that Mars has always been bitterly cold and that the purported evidence for a warm wet past is, in fact, due to the action of liquid CO2 not water.
I know he states that he sees no contradiction between this announcement and his earlier observations, but I can't help but feel this may be the 'first crack in his CO2 edifice'!! He may be paving the way for a change of heart ... who knows?!
This notion is backed up by the release of an amazing map of the distribution of sub-surface water on Mars. For a look at this map, click here (Click on the little thumbnail for a larger picture.)
It seems there is water ice in the top 1 metre of almost all of Mars - only the percentage varies. Even in the equatorial regions, there is at least a few percent water by weight, and above latitude 50-60 degrees the percentage can reach 50%, as reported months ago.
(Be careful when you look at this new map. Pay attention to the colour code for water percentage. Intuitively, we tend to associate blue with water but, in this case, the bluer areas are those with less water.)
I feel it must be getting harder for Dr. Hoffman to adhere to his 'White Mars' scenario when the evidence for vast quantities of water there just keeps mounting and mounting.
Incidentally, it looks like the Mariner Valley chasms also contain at least a few percent of water ice in the shallow sub-surface regolith. This is increasingly difficult to reconcile with Dr. Christensen's discovery of the mineral olivine in Ganges Chasma just lately. Olivine, as you will remember, is fragile in the presence of water (even water ice) and should only exist where no water has been. Very strange! ???
In any event, I'm hanging out for high-resolution pictures of those Hellas hot spots. I can hardly wait to see what's there!!
]]>It does look like a very large hot spot, though. And it's very hot, if you look at the night image. But I don't think it's too large to be an ice tower.
Unfortunately I've been unable to find the actual products. I browsed the THEMIS search engine thingy for a bit now, and I figure I should give up.
Perhaps a conspiracy site would have it.
]]>