Mars had liquid water 742 million years ago

Mars was discovered to have had water

Photo: SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

About 11 million years ago, an asteroid hit Mars, flinging chunks of the planet into space.

One of these, after a long journey, crashed to Earth and is known as the Lafayette Meteorite. It is one of the rare meteorites that can be directly traced back to Mars.

Scientists know that Mars once had water, but they have had difficulty piecing together information about its origin, when water first appeared on the red planet, and what happened to make Mars as dry as it is today.

Now, an important clue has been found that could boost efforts to find the truth about water on Mars.

Unilad reported on November 28 that a team of international scientists, including Purdue University (USA), analyzed minerals on the Lafayette Meteorite and discovered that water appeared on Mars about 742 million years ago.

Report author Marissa Tremblay, an assistant professor at Purdue University, explains that some meteorites from Mars contain minerals that formed during interactions with liquid water while on Mars.

“Dating those minerals can tell us when liquid water was present on or near the surface of Mars,” Tremblay said.

Her team doesn’t think liquid water was abundant on the planet’s surface at that time. Instead, the water may have come from melting permafrost near the Lafayette meteorite’s birthplace.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/sao-hoa-tung-co-nuoc-dang-long-cach-day-742-trieu-nam-185241128091318039.htm