Curiosity finds unusual traces of groundwater on Mars

Miscellaneous / by admin / April 25, 2022

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Another proof that once upon a time there were conditions for life on the planet.

First analysis of the Glen Torridon area in Gale Crater on Mars shows rock in the area has been altered groundwater in the early history of the planet, which is important for understanding the habitability of the planet in past. Findings, publishedOverview of the Morphology and Chemistry of Diagenetic Features in the Clay-Rich Glen Torridon Unit of Gale Crater, Mars / JGR Planets in Geophysical Research Planets are based on data collected by the Curiosity rover from January 2019 to January 2021.

It is noted that the main mission of the rover was to find out how Mars will turn from a warm and humid planet into a cold and dry one. Further exploration of the traces of the ancient lake may explain what led to climate change on the planet.

Ben Hee rock photographed by Curiosity / NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/LANL/IRAP-CNES

Thanks to the ChemCam tool, scientists were able to obtain high-quality images and chemical analysis. Large veins were found in the rock - dark ones with a high content of iron and manganese, as well as lighter veins rich in fluorine.

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We assume that during the formation of the crater, when the initial impact heated the rock, groundwater flowed through it. As a result, hot water extracted these unusual elements from the rock, including fluorine. High concentrations of fluorine are normally only found in hydrothermal systems on Earth, we didn't expect to find veins of similar chemistry at Glen Torridon.

Patrick Gasda

lead author of the study

This theory could help researchers better understand the habitability and chemistry of Mars.

If hydrothermal systems like this had been active during the existence of the lake, they would have brought redox elements (including iron, nickel, sulfur and manganese) on the surface of Mars. Microbes use these elements to generate energy. On Earth, deep sea hydrothermal vents can produce hydrogen and methane, as well as some more complex organic molecules. This is where the basic building blocks of life on ancient Earth could have been synthesized.

The veins in the rock have been linked to other veins and nodules of mysterious chemical composition found throughout the crater earlier in the mission. It is possible that the crater has changed significantly since the initial impact due to groundwater.

The rock under the crater likely stayed warmer for longer than the researchers thought, which explains the higher concentrations of elements like fluorine in groundwater. This groundwater may have circulated widely in the crater, forming other veins of varying chemical composition for a long time after the formation of the crater. It is not yet clear whether this was enough for life to appear on Mars at least temporarily.