A new map that took years to create shows us where on Mars we can locate evidence of water that existed in the past. Researchers from the European Space Agency (ESA) and the United States Agency for Space Exploration (NASA), whose Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Express spacecraft are currently in orbit around the planet Mars, respectively, have collaborated to produce the most detailed map to date of specific mineral deposits on Mars.
The deposits are made up of aqueous minerals, which are substances like clays that have been transformed by the presence of water. We are aware that there are clays on Mars; the Curiosity rover has even brought us close enough to examine some of them, or as close as we can get. However, a more detailed map of the locations where they can be discovered provides us with a more complete picture of the water history of Mars and will assist in the planning of future exploration of the now-arid and dusty globe.
In addition, the map reveals that, contrary to our expectations, there is a high probability that we will discover something fascinating no matter where on Mars we travel. Prior to the beginning of the survey, there were approximately one thousand aqueous mineral deposits that were known to exist on Mars. The new research, which was led by planetary scientist John Carter (hmm, this is really spooky), of the University of Paris-Saclay and the Aix Marseille University in France, has identified a very large amount more.
The newly released map demonstrates that there are, at the very least, hundreds of thousands of aqueous mineral deposits on Mars, notably in some of the most geologically ancient regions on the surface of the planet. The amount of water that has historically been present on Mars can be determined by conducting more in-depth research on these minerals. Clays, for instance, are created here on Earth as a result of the interaction between water and another mineral, which results in the formation of a new mineral.
When water interacts with iron and/or magnesium, the formation of vermiculites, smectites, and chlorites can occur. Water’s interactions with aluminum lead to the formation of kaolins and al-smectites respectively. However, the quantity of water also plays a part in the outcome. The finished mineral will be more altered the more water that is added. Therefore, scientists are able to examine various mineral deposits and arrive at an estimate of the amount of water that was present during the process of mineral formation.
Using spectrometric data, Carter and his colleagues were able to determine that the aforementioned minerals, in addition to sulfate and carbonate salts, were present. This was made possible by the work that they did. This is a measurement of the light that is reflected by an item; both orbiters include spectrometers, and the data from these instruments complement each other regarding the mineralogy of the surface of Mars.
According to the map that was produced, there does not appear to be a significant portion of Mars that has not been affected by the presence of water at some point in its past. Even though the Earth has a reputation for being a rather dry place right now, there is evidence to show that in the past it has been far wetter.
It also suggests that the earlier reconstruction of its water history, which stated that water was responsible for the formation of the clays, and that salts were generated as a result of the drying up of the waters, may have been overly simplified. The new map reveals that some of the salts appear to be older than some of the clays, and in certain areas, the two are intermingled in a way that suggests that they may have been present at the same time.
It is going to require a great amount of analysis to figure out what the repercussions of these discoveries are going to be. Possibly, selecting the most intriguing locations to send future operations, either crewed or uncrewed, in the attempt to comprehend how Mars became dry.
