Mysteries of Mars

Fabio Vittorio De Blasio is a physicist and geologist who currently holds a research position at the University of Milano-Bicocca in Italy. He has been the recipient of many fellowships and has held the post of professor under contract at Oslo University and visiting scientist at the “Sapienza” University of Rome. In the 1990s, his research interests were in the fields of nuclear physics and nuclear astrophysics, but from 2000 onward his focus shifted toward the Earth Sciences, and especially the study of natural hazards and fluid dynamics as applied to geophysical problems. Since 2008, he has become more interested in the planetary sciences and the surface morphology of terrestrial planets. At present, he is studying the geomorphology of Mars and also examining meteoroid impacts and other features on icy planets, including the moons Iapetus and Europa. He has authored more than 80 articles in peer-reviewed journals as well as two technical books and three popular science books.

“This slender volume offers a useful, quick study on Mars. … The book is richly illustrated in both black and white and color. It is written in an accessible style that is thoroughly peppered with fact after fact; De Blasio offers plenty to intrigue readers about one of Earth's closest neighbors.” (P. K. Strother, Choice, Vol. 56 (10), June, 2019)

• Part I: Mars through the millennia.- Mars as a heavenly warrior.- Mars with its odd orbit enters science.- Schiaparelli, Lowell, and the Martians.- Martian engineers or Martian lichens?.- Mars as seen by Mariners and Vikings.- A long interval and the return to Mars.- Technical box: Sending a spacecraft to Mars.- Mars in its orbit.- The big disappointment.- The rocks of the Martian surface.- The final answer.- Part II: history and geography of Mars.- The geography of Mars, shortly.- The interior of Mars.- Mystery No. 1. Why has Mars no magnetic field ?.- Ancient Mars: the Noachian period.- Mystery No. 2: Has Mars ever had a plate tectonics ?.- A tour on Noachian terrains of Mars: Noachis Terra.- The middle period: the Hesperian.- A tour on the Hesperian outflow channels.- The last period: the Amazonian.- Geological formations of Mars.- Part III: Processes at the surface of Mars.- Martian mountains.- The northern lowlands.- Mystery No. 3: What is the origin of the global dichotomy,which divides so sharply the North from the South of Mars?.- The giant impact basins on Mars.- Technical box: Impact cratering on Earth and Mars.- Valles Marineris.- Mistery No. 4: How were the Valles Marineris formed?.- The volcanoes of Mars.- Technical: Volcanic eruptions on Earth and Mars.- Mystery No. 5: Enigmatic mountains and mysterious geological formations (the strange arc of Acheron, the halos of Olympus Mons, Vastitas Borealis and Medusae Fossae formations).- Part IV: an exhibition of martian images.- Fractures.- Ice-related landforms.- Technical box: Optical images, infrared, radar maps. How data are acquired from remote sensing.- Catastrophic landslides.- Mystery No. 6: Great Ice age on Mars ?.- Morphologies due to wind.- Morphologies due to water.- Mystery No. 7: Was there an ocean on Mars?.- Breathtaking views.- Mystery No. 8: The enigmatic outflow channels.- Part V: The atmosphere, climate and life on Mars.- The atmosphere of Mars.- Dust devils.- The atmosphere of Mars.-The ice caps.- Mystery No. 9: How has the atmosphere of Mars changed? And what happened to the once abundant water ?.- The search for life on Mars.- Martian meteorites.- Mystery No. 10: Is there or was there life on Mars ?.- Ancient civilization on Mars ?.- Upcoming missions to Mars.- How to get to Mars and back.- Colonize Mars ?.- Terraforming.- Technical appendices.- Martian data.- Planitiae, Fossae, Terrae: Nomenclature of planetary geology.- Missions to: past, current, future.