Surface Relief of Mars

Abstract

THE first reports from Mariner IV indicate that the planet Mars possesses a negligible magnetic field when compared with that of Earth. This is strong confirmation of the view that Mars has not developed a core. In a recent communication to Nature¹ we suggested that a cyclical process which can be discerned in the Earth's history, and is responsible for its major geological structures, is related to the development of the Earth's core. If our arguments are valid, then it can be predicted that Mars will not possess any system of orogenic mountain belts comparable with those of Earth. Any relief on its surface would be of volcanic or volcano-tectonic origin as on the Moon.