Hey Frank,
Actually you could say this texture comes in at the very end of all those used in your educational activity. This is a Mars that is far in the future and the landforms will be different in some places. I don?€™t want to give away anything as of yet but this texture, I am hoping will take me in totally new directions. Everyone?€™s just gets to come along on the ride and hopefully it turns out as well as I hope.
As for the water level, I chose to go with a slightly higher level than in the final texture in the activity. You are right that at this point we aren?€™t even sure there is enough water on Mars at this time to fill the northern ocean basins. But we might, in the far future utilize another source of water for Mars. How about steeling Kuiper belt bodies and sending them to Mars and then aero breaking them into Mars atmosphere. That idea was put forward in Kim Stanley Robinsons Red, Green, and Blue Mars series. That could add allot of water to the planet in a fairly short time.
Another way that the water level could be higher in this texture is simply do to erosion. As sediment is carried into the bodies water they get displaced higher and higher as more sediment is added. A very simple experiment your students could do in class. This is also what happened to Spirit Lake at Mt St. Helens back when she erupted in 1980. The landslide of debris displaced the water to a much higher level and created and entirely new lake in the end a few hundred feet higher than it was before the eruption. So as the deepest parts of the great northern ocean fill with sediment the waters rise higher and higher. There would also be some water displacement by life forms in the water. Coral reefs would form in much of the shallow water and as they grow, taking carbon from the water and atmosphere to build the reefs they would displace water as well. Not at nearly the rate of erosion, but they would have a hand in it as well.
I could go on and on about things. But let?€™s just say this texture might be a possible Mars a hundred thousand years or more in the future. So 75 thousand years after the final texture in the activity. You can call it a well lived in Mars so to speak and will show that much better than the earlier textures ever came close to doing. At least I hope so. It?€™s all a great experiment really.
Here is an updated picture of the texture. Click the picture for a bigger one.
As you can see I have done further color enhancements. Bringing it to a more Earth toned world.
Ok I think that covers it for now.
Oh and thanks to d.m.falk for the links to the pictures, truly inspiring and I hope I can take a few of mine in similar poses to compare.
Oh sorry I almost forgot Frank, it is one I have created just for this texture, It?€™s based on my Northern Winter/Southern Summer cloudmap for Earth. It will be release with the texture and already has a matching cloud shadow map.
Don. Edwards
I am officially a retired member.
I might answer a PM or a post if its relevant to something.
Ah, never say never!!
Past texture releases, Hmm let me think about it
Thanks for your understanding.
Seems another excellent work!!
