Mars

Mars & its `tectonics'

LATE 2002 NOTE: From dphycbgr & earlieruef we see UEF theory says planets should be roughly symmetrical in crustal thickness although crust may be broken apart and moved away from equator / plane of ecliptic by alignment effects of Solar System masses.

But latest data from n.a.s.a / JPL show that Mars is unsymmetrical, one hemisphere is thicker

Crustal thickness:- North Pole N - S crust of Mars

South Pole - credits: n.a.s.a. / JPL
Why? Was Mars formed - and cooled - as a captive moon?

UEF theory says that a captive moon's crust can be expected to be thicker on side facing away from average direction of primary.
If a moon's rotation is locked, showing only one face to primary - then, as with our Moon, we rightly expected its opposite side to be thicker. It is!

We're now told Mars' northern hemisphere has a 30 km (approx) thick crust; while southern crust is said to be about 80 km thick or more.
The southern (previously outward side?) hemisphere is saturated with craters, the northern (previously inward side?) has sparse cratering
from Tom Van Flandern

Did `Velikovsky-type' catastrophe impact Mars, changing its previously safe orbit (& ecosystem)?

Scenario - When Mars was ejected from its Saturn or Jupiter orbit it also lost the protection of Saturn or Jupiter's magnetic field, afterward being unprotected from the solar wind. So much of its exposed atmospheric gasses and water would eventually be lost.