Arizona - Scientists have found a lot of carbon deposits under the surface of Mars. This could be evidence of the lives of hundreds of millions of years ago on the red planet.
Previously, scientists had discovered a small amount of minerals on Mars.
However, the abundance of this material indicates the existence of greenhouse gases that create the possibility of Martian surface wet and warmer hundreds of millions of years ago.
Scientists use satellite data to analyze the geological region of Mars known as Leighton crater near the Martian volcanoes are very broad Syrtis Major, with a width of 750 miles.
The team believes that the ancient sediments are buried in this volcanic material came out during the eruption of Syrtis Major.
Minerals are likely derived from carbonate-rich water in which to interact with the rock. This suggests that ancient Mars is hotter than previously thought.
Dr. Joseph Michalski of the Planetary Science Institute, Arizona, and Dr. Paul Niles from NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, said that the surface of Mars is cold, dry, full of acid and can not be inhabited.
However, these conditions may be different in the past. "One indication of the condition is the existence of habitable atmosphere containing methane. This may be formed when there hydrothermal processes in the earth's crust related to carbon dioxide. "
Previously, detection of carbonate minerals can be attributed to carbon dioxide-rich environment. Part of land that solid carbon dioxide also means that the greenhouse effect on Mars.
Current conditions are the atmosphere is so thin that gases can be easily blown in space and interact with water to form rocks.
Carbonate is also a proof that water is a chemical element that is neutral. This makes possible the conditions of primitive life on Mars.
A collection of minerals, the nature of texture and context of the geology of mineral deposits suggests the possibility of sedimentary rocks have been metamorphosed during the burial of young volcanic material.
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