Scientists from The Australian National University have found that extensive regions of the sub-surface of Mars could contain water and be at comfortable temperatures for terrestrial – and potentially martian – microbes.
In a paper published Dec. 12, researchers from the ANU Planetary Science Institute modeled Mars to evaluate its potential for harbouring inhabitable water. They found more than they were expecting.
“Our models tell us that if there is water present in the Martian sub-surface then it could be habitable – as an extensive region of the subsurface is at temperatures and pressures comfortable for terrestrial life,” said the lead author of the study PhD student Eriita Jones.
Co-author of the paper Dr Charley Lineweaver added: “We know that there is a hot, deep biosphere on Earth that extends to around five kilometres. If there is a hot deep biosphere on Mars, our modelling shows that it could extend to around 30 kilometres”.
In a paper published Dec. 12, researchers from the ANU Planetary Science Institute modeled Mars to evaluate its potential for harbouring inhabitable water. They found more than they were expecting.
“Our models tell us that if there is water present in the Martian sub-surface then it could be habitable – as an extensive region of the subsurface is at temperatures and pressures comfortable for terrestrial life,” said the lead author of the study PhD student Eriita Jones.
Co-author of the paper Dr Charley Lineweaver added: “We know that there is a hot, deep biosphere on Earth that extends to around five kilometres. If there is a hot deep biosphere on Mars, our modelling shows that it could extend to around 30 kilometres”.
Dr Charley Lineweaver.
Photo by Belinda Pratten.
In an earlier paper, the same scientists modelled the Earth and identified water that was inhabited and water that was not. In this paper, they applied the same technique to Mars and found that a large fraction of the Martian sub-surface could be harbouring habitable water.
“We found that about three per cent of the volume of present-day Mars has the potential to be habitable to terrestrial-like life,” said Dr Lineweaver. “This is compared to only about one per cent of the volume of the Earth being inhabited.”
“Our conclusion is that the best way to find water – or potentially microbes – on Mars is to dig. Sadly, NASA’s Curiosity Rover, which is scheduled to land on Mars in August, has a limited capacity to scratch the surface to 10 or 20 centimetres,” he said.
The Planetary Science Institute at ANU is a joint initiative of the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics and the Research School of Earth Sciences.
The paper, An Extensive Phase Space for the Potential Martian Biosphere, was published on Dec. 12 in the Astrobiology Journal.
In an earlier paper, the same scientists modelled the Earth and identified water that was inhabited and water that was not. In this paper, they applied the same technique to Mars and found that a large fraction of the Martian sub-surface could be harbouring habitable water.
“We found that about three per cent of the volume of present-day Mars has the potential to be habitable to terrestrial-like life,” said Dr Lineweaver. “This is compared to only about one per cent of the volume of the Earth being inhabited.”
“Our conclusion is that the best way to find water – or potentially microbes – on Mars is to dig. Sadly, NASA’s Curiosity Rover, which is scheduled to land on Mars in August, has a limited capacity to scratch the surface to 10 or 20 centimetres,” he said.
The Planetary Science Institute at ANU is a joint initiative of the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics and the Research School of Earth Sciences.
The paper, An Extensive Phase Space for the Potential Martian Biosphere, was published on Dec. 12 in the Astrobiology Journal.
This image shows the west-facing side of an impact crater in the mid-latitudes of Mars' northern hemisphere. Like many mid-latitude Martian craters, this one has gullies along its walls that are composed of alcoves, channels and debris aprons. The origins of these gullies have been the subject of much debate; they could have been formed by flowing water, liquid carbon dioxide or dry granular flows.
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
Many of the other features observed in and around this crater are indicative of an ice-rich terrain, which may lend credence to the water formation hypothesis for these gullies. The most notable of these features is scalloped terrain in and around the crater. This type of terrain has been interpreted as a sign of surface caving, perhaps due to sublimation of underlying ice. Sublimation is the process of a solid changing directly to a gas.
Another sign of ice is the presence of parallel lines and pitted material on the crater floor. Parallel linear cracks are also observed along the crater wall over the gullies, which could be due to thermal contraction of ice-rich material.
together, these features are evidence for ice-rich material having been deposited in this region during different climatic conditions, material that has subsequently begun to melt and/or sublimate under current conditions. More recently, wind-blown deposits have accumulated around the crater, as evidenced by the parallel ridges dominating the landscape.
The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter took the image on April 13, 2010.
Contacts and sources:
Charley Lineweaver
Another sign of ice is the presence of parallel lines and pitted material on the crater floor. Parallel linear cracks are also observed along the crater wall over the gullies, which could be due to thermal contraction of ice-rich material.
together, these features are evidence for ice-rich material having been deposited in this region during different climatic conditions, material that has subsequently begun to melt and/or sublimate under current conditions. More recently, wind-blown deposits have accumulated around the crater, as evidenced by the parallel ridges dominating the landscape.
The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter took the image on April 13, 2010.
Contacts and sources:
Charley Lineweaver
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