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Just like earth, planetary scientists are trying to solve one of the big mysteries tied up with Mars – the shorelines. Based on recent findings, it is believed that these alleged shorelines were wiped away by enormous floods, possibly tied up to mega-tsunamis.

This is something that scientists want to uncover, something they have been doing for over a decade. It is their belief that a primordial ocean once covered Mars’ northern hemisphere and actually have evidence of molecular traces of atmospheric water.

Though that has been proven, a follow-up mystery comes in the form of the ocean coastline. The shores were nowhere to be found despite the geological spotting of boulders and ice debris. This is where the hand of tsunamis enters the picture.

Referring to images captured by spacecrafts orbiting the red planet, Dr. J. Alexis Rodriguez, author and a Mars geologist at the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona were able to single out the geological remnants.

“We’re showing that the shorelines were there, but they were overrun and buried by the tsunami waves,” said Rodriguez via the NY Times.

Rodriguez believes that a meteor crashed into the ocean some 3.4 billion years ago and such created mega-tsunamis with waves as high as 400 feet tall wiped out the coastal lines of Mars.

He adds that a crater which is about 19 miles across was left and that water had retreated to the ocean leaving behind 30-foot rocks. These were also seen as the reason behind the obscured original shoreline while also leaving behind channels as to the clues behind the ocean’s elevation.

The team also believes that following that event, Mars fell into a deep freeze and that the top layer of the ocean turned into an icy lake.

A second mega-tsunami may have occurred as well several millions of years later though with possibly varying results. After the second hit, they believe water did not flow back into ocean and instead froze and eventually buried the coastline.

Despite those series of events, Rodriguez and his team are still looking for answers to the biggest mystery of all – “Was there really life on Mars?” To do that, the team will need to do research over there and study the tsunami scars.

“It gives us locations where we can investigate the primary composition of the ocean,” Dr. Rodriguez said, “and determine if it was habitable or not.”