Mysterious Mars rocks discovered
It was only recently that Scientists discovered that a vast ocean
once covered a third of the surface of Mars, and far from being a dusty
red desert, our neighboring planet was once wet and rainy, raising the
prospect that it was home to extra-terrestrial life.
|
NASA image of the ancient rocks Nili Fossae. |
They also revealed that the ocean stretched across 36 per cent of the
red planet around 3.5 billion years ago and contained 30million cubic
miles of water. The discovery is based on a detailed study of the
dried-up river deltas and thousands of river valleys that scatter the
Martian surface.
Now the researchers have discovered rocks that could contain the
fossilized remains of ancient life on early Mars.
The team made their discovery in the ancient rocks of ‘Nili Fossae’
on the planet’s surface, which they say are almost identical to rocks in
the Pilbara region of north-west Australia where some of the earliest
evidence of life on Earth has been preserved. This means there may be
fossils as old as 4 billions years old buried there on Mars.
Scientists from the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Institute (Seti) used infrared light from an instrument on the Mars
Reconnaissance Orbiter to study the ‘Nili Fossae’ rocks.
|
3. 5 billion years old rocks from Australia that is similar to
Mars rocks. Pic. Alamy. |
They then used the exact same instrument to study the Pilbara rocks
in Australia. Scientists had first discovered that the Nili Fossae rocks
contained carbonate in 2008. Carbonate is formed when the shells and
bodies of dead animals are buried and preserved.
On top of this discovery they also have discovered that the ancient
rocks on Mars and in Australia share many similar minerals.
Dr Adrian Brown, told BBC News: ‘The Pilbara is very cool. Its part
of the Earth that has managed to stay at the surface for around 3.5
billion years - so about three quarters of the history of the Earth.’‘
Also it allows us a little window into what was happening on the Earth
at its very early stages.’ And they think the same occurrences have
taken place on Mars.
The team of researchers reports the findings in the journal Earth and
Planetary Science Letters.
- Chamari Senanayake |
