Climate cycles on early mars, triggered by GHG build up, have caused liquid water to carve out canyons and valley networks on Martian surface, according to scientists.
Scientists have long debated how canyons and valley networks could form in Mars some 38 billion years ago at a time many hold that the Red Planet was frozen.
Researchers suggest a glacier covered early mars may have experienced long warm periods lasting up to 10 million years at a time, caused by a thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide and hydrogen.
Team found the warming cycles would have lasted long enough and produced enough water to create the features.
Previous research suggested that asteroid impacts warmed the planet, creating steam atmospheres leading to rain.
Warm periods would have much shorter durations and struggled to produce enough water.
Scientists have likened the valleys on the Martian surface are similar in width to the Colorado River Canyon. It took 16 million years for the Colorado River, swollen seasonally as snow melts in Rocky Mountains to carve the nearby Grand Canyon.
With the right choice of parameters caused by GHG reached a certain tipping point lasted millions of years on Mars - with the right choice of parameters, these warm periods last up to 10 million years.
