The Syrtis Major reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Syrtis Major

Syrtis Major, is the Roman name for the Gulf of Sidra on the coast of Libya (classical Cyrenaica).

See also: Syrtis Minor

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Syrtis Major (named after the terrestrial surface feature) is a "dark spot" located in the boundary between the northern lowlands and southern highlands of Mars. It was the first surface feature of another planet to be named, by Christiaan Huygens in 1659. It is centered near 290° W and 10° N, extends some 1,500 km (930 miles) north from the planet's equator, and spans 1,000 km (620 miles) from west to east.

They are several theories about its formation. In the past, some have guessed that is liquid water, even though the temperatures and the air pressure seem to prevent this possibility. The research team that worked on the ALH84001 Martian meteorite from Antarctica have even suggested that they are bacterial growths, feeding off geothermal vents.

See also: Exobiology

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