To Understand Mars Better, Geologists to Visit Niagara Falls

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- What does Niagara Falls have in common with the planet Mars?

Quite a lot, geologically speaking.

In fact, on June 25-26, a group of leading planetary geologists will visit Buffalo and Niagara Falls to better understand the geology of Mars.

The geologists will attend a conference on Mars landing sites for the 2001 Surveyor mission, as well as the 1999 Planetary Geological Mappers meeting, both of which are being hosted by the University at Buffalo.

At the Mars meeting, geologists will discuss possible landing sites for the Surveyor rover, which in Fall 2001 will carry experiments designed to demonstrate technologies necessary to support eventual human colonization of the red planet. The geological mappers meeting will include presentations on mapping studies and procedures.

Once the formal conference presentations are done, scientists will don hiking books and embark on field trips in and around Western New York, courtesy of their UB hosts.

"The reason for the field trips is that there is some controversy over whether or not glaciers may have existed in the past on Mars," explained Tracy Gregg, Ph.D., UB assistant professor of geology and a member of the conference organizing committee. "So we'll be showing these geologists who specialize in Mars what glaciated terrain and glacial deposits really look like."

The field trips will showcase the most fascinating features of Western New York's large-scale glacial geology, including Niagara Falls, the Niagara Gorge, the shorelines of the glacial Great Lakes and other geological features, such as drumlins, eskers, moraines and the Finger Lakes.