Planetary scientists conducted an in-depth study of the data captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and determined that the Margaritifer Terra spans the northern part of the Ladon Valles, the southern part of the Ladon Basin, and the southwestern highlands around the basin. distribution of clay sediments.
Research points out that certain areas on Mars may harbor life many times over billions of years. (Source: Video screenshot)
Clay means that there is water for a long time, because it is formed under neutral pH conditions, and the water evaporates very little. The research team believes that water flowed here from about 3.8 billion to 2.5 billion years ago. Although it is not conclusive evidence of the existence of life, it may require excavation of Martian fossils to confirm it. However, according to this new study, the conditions for life on Mars can be explained by observations of the Martian surface and sediments.
The researchers believe that the clay originally formed around the highlands above the Ladon Basin and was then eroded by water that carried it downstream into the Ladon Basin and lakes in the northern Ladon Valley. The researchers found that the distribution of clay and other rocks was consistent with the distribution of surrounding water. What’s more, clay is a source of nutrients and a stabilizer for the surrounding environment. Put water, nutrients, and stable conditions together, and an organism's chances of survival increase dramatically.
Researchers point out that habitable conditions may have occurred periodically until Mars' recent history. The research was published in the journal Icarus.
(first image source: pixabay)
