Observations of the Red planet suggests that Mars was warm and wet and that it could have supported life long ago. According to planetary scientists, there has been water on Mars for at least 3.7 billion years. Rivers and Oceans must have been a prominent feature in its earlier period. Scientists have been drawing different conclusions regarding the origin of water on the Martian surface.
One hypothesis suggests that water could have come from asteroids and comets after the planet was formed. Another hypothesis says that water might have been one of the many substances that occurred naturally during planet formation. A new analysis of ancient Martian meteorite suggests that the second hypothesis is true.
A pair of dark meteorites named NWA 7034 and NWA 7533 were discovered in the Sahara deserts several years ago. The analysis showed that these Martian meteorites are mixtures of different rock fragments. Further studies proved that they were formed on Mars 4.4 billion years ago, making them the oldest Martian meteorites. These rocks are very rare and can cost up to $10000 per gram. It is nicknamed as “Black Beauty” for its dark colour.
Samples of NWA 7533 were subjected to 4 different kinds of spectroscopic analysis, ways of detecting chemical fingerprints. The results drawn concluded that water was present on the Martian surface at around 4.4 billion years ago. Igneous rocks in the meteorite were formed from magma and was caused by impacts and oxidation. This oxidation could have occurred only if water was present on or in the Martian crust 4.4 billion years ago.
According to Professor Takashi Mikouchi at the University of Tokyo, who participated in the analysis, an impact would have released huge amounts of hydrogen, which would have contributed towards planetary warming. Mars already had the thick insulating atmosphere of carbon dioxide. New findings suggest that water is the byproduct of the process of planet formation. These findings could impact theories on the origins of life and the exploration of life beyond Earth.
Reference: University of Tokyo
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