According to an article
just published in the journal Geology, there is strong evidence indicating the
existence of vast underground reserves of water on Mars. The finding, which has
come as quite a surprise, it reinforces the idea that the Red Planet can, or
could at some point, support life. And it increases the chances of establishing
human colonies there in the near future.
The issue of
"Martian water" has been debated for more than a century. First, the
late nineteenth century, were the famous canals of Mars. Later, in full space
age, came the discovery of ancient river valleys and sea revealing a past
Martian water-rich surface.
And in 2003, finally,
the Mars Odyssey was detected for the first time, small particles water ice
just below the surface of Mars. Something that was confirmed some years later
"in situ" by the Phoenix mission.
No doubt, then, that on
the surface of Mars, or very near it, and there was no water. But things are
not so clear at the time of establishing the existence or not of water reserves
also in the basement of the planet. One issue that is of the utmost importance
to understand the geological history (and probably biological) of this world so
similar to Earth.
Now, for the first time
a group of researchers led by Francis McCubbin, University of New Mexico,
successful in providing strong evidence that in the interior of Mars is also
water. And much, indeed. At least the same as on Earth ...
"The search for
water in the solar system, says the article in Geology, is one of the main
goals of planetary exploration science because water plays an important role in
many processes geological and is required for biological processes occur as we
understand them today. If we exclude the Earth, Mars is the most promising of
the inner solar system to find water, and no doubt that water was the
responsible for shaping many of the landscapes that can be seen today on the
Martian surface. However, until now, the issue of water in the planet's
interior remains unresolved. "
Analyzing the
composition of two Martian meteorites (the Shergotty, killed in India in 1865
and the Queen Alexandria, found in 1994 in Antarctica), researchers have
concluded that the Martian mantle (the layer of rock between the crust and
core) contains between 70 to 300 parts per million of water, a surprisingly
similar to Earth's mantle.
"Carambola
cosmic"
Both meteorites are of
volcanic origin and proceed, then, inside the Red Planet. They came to Earth at
different times, but left Mars in the same period 2.5 million years ago as a
result of the impact of a meteorite that blasted into space a lot of Martian
rocks. In a sort of "cosmic fluke," some of those rocks after they
landed here on Earth, bringing with them a treasure trove of information that,
for now, can not be obtained directly from Mars by any other means.
In the words of Erik
Hauri, one of the authors of the research, "we analyzed two meteorites
that have very different histories. One was mixed with a considerable amount of
items during their training, while the other does not." In both cases, the
researchers looked for the water molecules present within apatite crystals, and
used these molecules to determine the amount of water containing the original
Martian rock the meteorites came.
The results were a
surprise. Both rocks, in fact, suggest that the Martian mantle contains between
70 and 300 parts per million of water, an amount which is remarkably similar to
that of the mantle. And since both meteorites contain the same percentage of
water in spite of their different geological histories, researchers believe
that water was incorporated into the mantle for billions of years, during
formation of the planet itself.
The study also suggests
the answer to another puzzle on Martian water. In particular, how they managed
to reach the liquid element from the interior to the planet's surface. The
researchers argue that this "migration" was due to volcanic activity.
Source: ABC.es EA
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