The disappeared oceans of Mars offered to search in the bowels of the planet
Scientists have made an assumption where the ancient oceans of Mars disappeared. According to them, the water could have gone deep into the planet, Science reports.
Mars is believed to have been a watery world early in its existence. There was enough moisture to cover the entire planet with a layer of 100-1500 meters. But now there are no signs of it on the surface.
Early Mars was gradually losing its magnetic field and atmosphere. Scientists believed that at the same time, the water evaporated into space. A new study suggests that most of the water is still on Mars – deep in its crust, trapped in so-called hydrated minerals.
The study was based on data from rovers, as well as an analysis of Martian meteorites that hit Earth. Scientists said that the interaction of stones with water generates a number of very complex reactions, as a result of which the solid rock absorbs some of the moisture.
This process, called “chemical weathering”, also occurs on Earth. But on our planet, volcanoes “return” the water absorbed by the earth's crust back into the atmosphere. There is no tectonic activity on Mars. Therefore, the water contained in minerals remains forever in the bowels of the planet.
Scientists have concluded that Mars lost water 4 – 3.7 billion years ago. The new Mars rover Perseverance will probably help test their theory – it is going to investigate exactly those processes and reactions that led to the disappearance of water from the surface.
Earlier it was reported that scientists observed a long cloud on Mars. Its history was reconstructed from satellite images.
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