The canyons and crater sides that look water eroded, were in theory, caused when an impact event broke the surface crust integrity that had some form of liquid beneath the surface , then the erosion occurred when the liquid ran to the lowest point of the crater.
That same impact would have dispersed large amounts of droplet/ spherical material in all directions and under the low gravity they may have retained their shape after settling to the planets surface.
Actually, in the case of Miami vs. Syracuse, it isn't the difference in their distance from the Sun; it's the difference in the yearly average of the angle of the sun's rays at each location.
BZZZT!! Thanks for playing but we do have these lovely parting gifts.
The difference in the climate between Syracuse and Miami is caused by the ANGLE of the sun. It's warmer in Miami because the sun is more directly overhead. At the equator it is warm because the sun is directly overhead all year. We have seasons because the earth's axis cause a tilt in the orbital plane and so the angle of the sun becomes lower in respective hemishperes at different times of the year.
Miami isn't warm DUE to its proximity to the equator, it is warmer because the solar geometry is more similar to that of the equator. The farther you get from the equator (like Syracuse), the lower the angle of the sun, and the colder it is at any time of year.