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Prior to July, 1995 ZetaTalk stated that Life on Mars had existed prior to the giant hominoids from the 12th Planet pouring the Mars oceans into subterranean cavities while washing ore during their mining operations. On Dec 10, 1999, Science Magazine and the Brown University News Service reported definitive evidence of ancient oceans on Mars, and on June 12, 2000 NASA confirmed this. On Jan 25, 2007 scientists admitted that the water must be underground, as it could not have evaporated.

Science Magazine, Dec 12, 1999
Possible Ancient Oceans on Mars: Evidence from Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter Data

High-resolution altimetric data define the detailed topography of the northern lowlands of Mars, and a range of data is consistent with the hypothesis that a lowland-encircling geologic contact represents the ancient shoreline of a large standing body of water present in middle Mars history. The contact altitude is close to an equipotential line, the topography is smoother at all scales below the contact than above it, the volume enclosed by this contact is within the range of estimates of available water on Mars, and a series of extensive terraces parallel the contact in many places.

Brown geologist finds evidence supporting ancient ocean on Mars
News Service, Brown University
For Immediate Release: December 9, 1999

In an article to be published in Science magazine Dec. 10, 1999, Brown University planetary geologist James Head and five colleagues present topographical measurements which they say are consistent with an ocean that dried up hundreds of millions of years ago. The measurements were taken by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter, an instrument aboard the unmanned spacecraft Mars Global Surveyor which is circling the planet.

Head's team set out to test the hypotheses of scientists who suggested the possibility of oceans on Mars in 1989 and 1991. The team used data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter, which beamed a pulsing laser to Mars' surface. Scientists measured the time it took for the laser to return to the satellite; the laser traveled a shorter length of time from mountain peaks and longer from craters. MOLA is the first instrument to provide scientists the information required to construct a topographic map of the entire surface of the planet. For years, scientists have known about channels in which water once flowed into the northern lowlands on the surface of Mars. "The question is whether it collected in large standing bodies," Head said. "This is the first time we could get instruments to comprehensively test these ideas."

According to Head, the team has found four types of quantitative evidence that points to the possible ancient ocean:

The results "should make all of us think more seriously about the possibility of the presence of large-scale standing bodies of water on Mars, big lakes and oceans," Head said. "We can't think of anything else to explain these things. They merit much closer scrutiny." Head's team concludes that further tests are necessary, including analysis of meteorites from Mars and of landing sites, checking for the presence of salts that may be related to former oceans. The importance of determining whether there were ancient oceans - and life - on Mars is that scientists may be able to learn more about long-term climate change and why climate changed on Mars, which has relevance to the future of the Earth, Head said.

Hints of huge water reservoirs on Mars
25 January 2007
http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn11030-hints-of-huge-water-reservoirs-on-mars.html

Mars is losing little water to space, according to new research, so much of its ancient abundance may still be hidden beneath the surface. Dried up riverbeds and other evidence imply that Mars once had enough water to fill a global ocean more than 600 metres deep, together with a thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide that kept the planet warm enough for the water to be liquid. But the planet is now very dry and has a thin atmosphere.

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