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ClarkFable t1_iwvhgv0 wrote

Reply to comment by MidnightPlatinum in Mars was once covered by 300-meter deep oceans, study shows by magenta_placenta

combination of lack of mass and lack of strong magnetic fields (also correlated with mass) which would shield it from some atmosphere stripping radiation.

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WontStopAtSigns t1_iwwbkwr wrote

Wouldn't the mass of 300m deep oceans have helped create a magnetosphere, cloud layers, ozone, etc?

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weristjonsnow t1_iwwhqyi wrote

300m of water is nothing compared to planetary mass. Mars lost it's core spinning

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WhiteAndNerdy85 t1_iwwj3j2 wrote

Yeah. If the Earth was shrunk down to the size of a bowling ball it would be completely smooth. The deepest oceans and tallest mountains wouldn't even register. Mars is the same way.

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Plinythemelder t1_iwxg63p wrote

Yo that bothered be for so long until I found out that not true. https://ourplnt.com/earth-smooth-billiard-ball/

A billiard ball scaled to earth size would be much smoother.

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x925 t1_iwxtxvs wrote

A marble sized earth would be smoother still.

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xSARGEx117x t1_iwxws0s wrote

If we shrink it down enough, does it curve right back around to being pointy again?

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PyramidBusiness t1_iwxpv7a wrote

The oceans really aren't that deep if you think about it. 2 or 3 minutes down the road from your house can be a further drive than the ocean is deep.

Fun fact: The meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs was almost as big in diameter as the ocean is deep on average.

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WontStopAtSigns t1_iwwhwol wrote

Interesting bc it sounds like a big amount.

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kldload t1_iwwsftt wrote

You might think 300 meters is a lot, but that’s just peanuts to Mars

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SqueakyKnees t1_iwwqfha wrote

Just Mars's mantel is 1,560,000 meters deep. The mantel material is also more dense than water. Problem is is size is relative. 300m of water is a crazy amount to us humans, but to a planet's mass, it's not that much.

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RunLoud6534 t1_iwz57q6 wrote

Equivalent to those little cups of water we hand out to people running a 5k.

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_-Event-Horizon-_ t1_iwyajxm wrote

For comparison the average depth of Earth's oceans is more than 3,000 meters with the deepest points going in excess of 10,000m and Earth has much bigger surface area. And Europa's oceans are theorized to be around 100Km deep.

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Crowbrah_ t1_iwya0kj wrote

Sounds like we gotta start it up again. All we need is a subterranean laser drill and a couple of nukes

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Zztrox-world-starter t1_iwyiny4 wrote

That's an extremely small amount of water on planetary scales. For comparison, Earth's ocean are more than 3700m deep on average, yet it's still insignificant compared to other materials.

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StrangeTangerine1525 t1_iwzvipv wrote

A magnetic field isn't the primary determination for an atmosphere, Earth is the only terrestrial object with an atmosphere that has a magnetic field. Venus is roughly the same size and has an atmosphere 2 orders of magnitude larger, and lacks any kind of intrinsic magnetosphere. Planetary mass matters much more in regards to atmosphere retention, as well as temperature and atmospheric composition. Titan is another good example, were it lacks both a magnetic field and mass, but the moon is so cold that it can maintain a relatively dense atmosphere.

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