There was a lot of water on Mars. Astronomers are convinced of this. But maybe we should say: There is always a lot of water on the Red Planet. Because, according to the new data, the water that flowed abundantly on Mars billions of years ago was trapped in the planet’s crust.
Mars looks like a desert world to us today. But the Astronomy scientists It is estimated that billions of years ago, water flowed in abundance on the Red Planet. So much so, that the entire planet can be covered in an ocean with a depth of 100 to 1500 meters. Equivalent to half of our Atlantic Ocean. To explain this water’s disappearance, researchers generally blame the weak gravity Who reigns on Mars. It would have allowed water to simply escape into space.
However, new data shows that this phenomenon ‘A leak in the atmosphere’ Does not take into account most of the water that has disappeared from Surface of Mars. On the contrary, they suggest that between 30 and 99% of the water that once flowed on the red planet is still there. Trapped Minerals From the crust of Mars.
To reach this conclusion, California Institute of Technology researchers (California Institute of Technology, USA) Reference data collected by many Mars missions From NASA. They also compared it with notes by Telescopes And work in the laboratory Meteorites. Their idea: to study the amount of water present on Mars, whatever its shape (steam, Liquid or Gas) Over time and so does the chemical composition ofAtmosphere And the crust of the Red Planet.
Lack of recycling
More accurate is the ratio of deuterium over hydrogen Who put the chip in their ears. Remember that deuterium is a heavy form of hydrogen. Therefore, its tendency to escape from the planet’s atmosphere is less due to the lack of gravity from hydrogen. In fact, if a planet lost water Across In the upper atmosphere, the process leaves a telltale mark on the report Deuterium On the hydrogen of the aforementioned atmosphere. Deuterium will concentrate more than ‘Natural’, Or 0.02%.
However, the ratio of deuterium to hydrogen that astronomers measure and the hypothesis that a large amount of water flowed into the past on Mars do not match. According to the researchers, the current state of Mars can only be explained by considering that water has remained trapped in minerals in its crust.
On Earth, too, water is trapped in rocks. In the form of’Clay Or other wet minerals. But the old woman Crustal It constantly melts in Coat It forms a new crust at the edges Tectonic platesRecycle water – and others Molecules – In the atmosphere before Volcanoes. On Mars, on the other hand, there are no tectonic plates to equilibrate “drying” From the surface. Researchers are now anxiously waiting for the information that will be provided to them perseverance, The Rover From NASA that landed on Mars a month ago.
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