Scientists believe that the Tarsis volcanic plateau shifted the axis of Mars 20-25 degrees 3.5 billion years ago. This phenomenon explains many of the mysteries of the Red Planet.
A group of scientists from France in the course of their research came to an unexpected conclusion regarding the life of ancient Mars. The appearance on the planet of the volcanic plateau Tharsis 3.5 billion years ago could affect how it looks now. An article about this was published in the journal Nature.
According to experts, due to the formation of the Olympus volcano on Mars, its axis could shift by 20-25 degrees, after which the planet's crust and mantle began to rotate around the core. Thanks to the phenomenon described above, relatively fresh traces of water flows appeared there, which cannot exist in such conditions.
In addition, the rotation of the axis explains several mysteries of Mars at once: why the reserves of liquid were concentrated not at the poles of Mars, but in its temperate zones, why all rivers are located in a narrow strip of "tropics" and why Tharsis is located at the equator. Also, scientists are confident that the potential rivers and oceans of the Red Planet arose shortly before the birth of the volcanic plateau, and disappeared during the first eruptions.