A photo from open sources
Geologists who analyzed 40 meteorites that fell to Earth from Mars, claim that the chemical signatures of these ancient stones can tell a lot about the atmosphere of Mars. Study, published on April 17 in the journal Nature, suggests that the atmospheres of Mars and Earth had significant differences at the earliest the development period of the Solar System is 4.6 billion years. Cunning Franz (Heather Franz) and James Farquhar (James Farquhar) led the work, in which they checked the sulfur content of 40 Martian meteorites – this amount is much larger than has ever been explored. Of over 60,000 meteorites, found on Earth, only 69 are considered fragments of stones that were once part of the surface of Mars. Sulfur that is in big amount contained on Mars, could be part of the greenhouse gases that heated the surface, and could be an excellent source of germs. Some Sulfur in Martian meteorites appeared due to molten rock – – magma, which came to the surface during the eruption of volcanoes. Volcanoes sulfur dioxide was also thrown into the atmosphere – there she interacted with light, reacted with others molecules and deposited on the surface. Sulfur has four stable isotope, formed naturally, – each of They have their own atomic signature. Sulfur chemically fickle, it can react with many chemical elements, and each type of interaction differs differently isotopes of sulfur. Investigating the content of sulfur isotopes in rock samples, scientists can find out if this sulfur is magma from the depths of the planet, atmospheric sulfur dioxide or a product of biological activity. Using modern techniques for the analysis of sulfur isotopes in samples meteorites from Mars, scientists were able to determine that some the amount of sulfur is a product of photochemical processes in the atmosphere of Mars. Sulfur “fell” to the surface and later entered the composition of the erupting magma that formed the stones – future meteorites. In addition, scientists have found that chemical reactions, in which sulfur entered in the atmosphere of Mars are different from those occurred in the early evolutionary period of the earth. This suggests that the atmospheres of the two planets were initially very different from each other. The exact nature of this discrepancy is unknown, but there are others. evidence that suggests shortly after of how the Solar System formed, most of the atmosphere Mars was lost, as a result of which it became thinner than the earth, with lower carbon dioxide and other gases. Here is one of the reasons it’s too cold on Mars today so that liquid water can exist on the planet. Wherein, study authors note that “climate models talk about that a small amount of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere after episodes of volcanic activity that from time to time happened in the history of Mars, could lead to warmings, in as a result of which the existence of liquid water became possible on the surface for quite long periods. ” Periods increased sulfur dioxide levels may explain dried lakes of the planet, riverbeds and other confirmations of “water of the past”.
Water Time Volcanoes Stones Mars Solar System
