May 02,
2007
The “Dunes” of Victoria
Crater
NASA scientists call them “sand
dunes.” But in the electrical interpretation, the
extraordinary complex of ridges and valleys at the center of
Victoria Crater on Mars points back to the same event that
produced the crater itself.
In a previous
picture of
the day, we noted that the sharply sculpted
“cookie-cutter” form of Victoria crater defies explanation
as an impact depression. Taking inspiration from Wallace
Thornhill’s insights on the formative process, we suggested
that laboratory experiments with short-lived electric arcs
(called 'sparks') to an anode (positively charged surface)
offer the best explanation for the crater’s distinctly
scalloped cliff walls.
The advantage of the electrical interpretation is that it
also addresses directly the nature of the topography
dominating the central area of the crater. NASA scientists
describe this area, seen in the picture above, as “sand
dunes,” though the repeated orthogonal configuration –
ridges intersecting at roughly right angles -- does not
appear to have any precise counterpart amongst Earthly
dunes. A possible electric discharge explanation is as
follows: Electromagnetic forces between Birkeland currents
constrained to a surface will force parallelism. Where a
discharge channel branches, the branches tend to run
parallel and may rejoin. Orthogonal coronal discharges from
the parallel Birkeland currents generate the striking
pattern. This model lends itself to laboratory testing.
Additionally, the supposed “dunes” remind us of objections
to standard theory posed by the electrical theorists: the
rarified Martian atmosphere (less than one percent as dense
as Earth’s) could not reconfigure the planet’s surface in
the profound ways implied by the usual interpretations. The
electrical hypothesis emphasizes a testable connection of
the orthogonal ridge and valley network to the original
crater-forming event. From this vantage point, the test is
all too obvious. As noted by Wallace Thornhill, if NASA will
examine the ridges on site, they may find that they are
“solid, glassified sand, rather like that found in dry soil
following a lightning strike.” Notably, the Apollo
astronauts observed puzzling orthogonal patterns in the
lunar soil and glass in the centers of small craters. That,
together with much additional evidence, suggests that the
Moon is a heavily electrically cratered body.
As we intend to make clear in forthcoming discussions of
Martian topography, the ridge and valley patterns on the
planet are consistent with electrical patterns on a surface
subject to widespread electric discharge activity. In the
end, these electrical patterns are sufficient to throw into
doubt all conventional treatments of Martian history—even
perspectives on present surface activity.