Australian scientists from Curtin University have found evidence of the existence of hot water on ancient Mars. The research was published in the scientific journal magazine Science Advances (SciAdv).
The team made this discovery while examining the Martian meteorite NWA7034, which was discovered in the Sahara Desert in 2011. The alien mineral was called “Black Beauty” due to its smooth black surface.
“Black Beauty” is 2 billion years old. But researchers discovered a much older zircon grain inside that appeared 4.45 billion years ago.
Using nanoscale imaging and spectroscopy, the team identified specific elements in the zircon fragment, allowing them to determine the chemical composition of the residues. Among them were iron, aluminum, yttrium and sodium. Their presence indicates the existence of hydrothermal vents on the Red Planet.
“These elements were added when zircon formed 4.45 billion years ago, suggesting the presence of water during early magmatic activity on Mars,” the team said.
Previous research has shown that 4.1 billion years ago, Mars was a wet planet filled with rivers, lakes and even seas. However, after 2 billion years, the earth dried out completely as a result of rapid cooling caused by the thinning of the atmosphere due to solar radiation.
A meteorite previously forgotten in the painting helped Scientists will solve the mystery of the melting of glaciers on Mars that cooled 700 million years ago.
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Source: Gazeta
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