American astrobiologists from the Planetary Institute in Arizona have discovered evidence of the existence of salt ice caps at the poles of Mercury. This suggests the possibility of potentially habitable zones deep beneath the surface of the solar system’s hottest planet. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Journal of Planetary Science (PJS).
“Our discovery complements other recent research showing that Pluto has nitrogen glaciers, meaning that the glaciation phenomenon extends from the hottest edges of our solar system to the coldest edges. These areas are critical because they determine how the volatile compounds they contain affect planetary landscapes,” said lead author Alexis Rodríguez.
Special salt compounds on Earth create habitable niches in the harshest environments, such as the Atacama Desert in Chile, scientists say. The presence of salt on Mercury suggests that the planet’s interior may be more suitable for life than its sun-scorched surface, which has an average temperature of 179 °C.
Researchers suggest that salt deposits at Mercury’s poles may have been formed by water in the distant past. In this scenario, material released by volcanic activity temporarily created pools or shallow seas of liquid or supercritical water on the planet, i.e., extremely dense and very salty steam. The water then evaporated or dissolved into the soil, leaving behind a thick layer dominated by salts and clay minerals.
Formerly Juno probe discovered Organic matter on Jupiter’s largest moon.