> 2) I'm not sure that any period of growth was necessary but one of
>the articles mentions that planetary scientists believe that Mars was
>wetter and more hospitable billions of years ago.
>
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Mars was a wetter place in
the past. I have a copy of a Journal of Geophysical Research here at home
that you should look at. The article is Masursky et al, Classification
and Timof of Formation of Martian Channels Based on Viking Data", JGR,
82:28, Sept 30, 1977, pp. 4016-4038
There is no doubt that fluid flow created the channels pictured in that
article. Was it water? Most likely, since it is difficult to conceive of
any other fluid which could have the quantities necessary to carve these
meandering channels.
glenn
Foundation,Fall and Flood
http://members.gnn.com/GRMorton/dmd.htm