On
October 8, 2015, NASA reported that billions of years ago, Mars was capable of
storing water in ancient lakes for a period of time. The Rover landed three
years ago into the Gale Crater, coincidentally the location where water aided
the deposit of sediment on the planet. The sediments deposited where the layers
that formed Mount Sharp, the mountain in the middle of the crater. About three
billion years ago, a series of long-lived streams and lakes existed at some
point, delivering sediment that slowly built up the lower layers of Mount
Sharp.
In other news, NASA scientists confirmed that water currently
flows on Mars. Billions of years ago, Mars more closely resembled Earth than it does
today. What happened to the once
wet Mars? They estimate that less than
500 million years ago, the fillings of the bottom of the mountain were made
perhaps by ancient lakes or rivers.
Scientists discovered water-deposited, fine-grained rocks close to Mount
Sharp. Scientists found mudstone which concludes the presence of bodies of
water that existed hundreds to millions of years ago. But, what about the
original source of water that carried sediment into the crater? For flowing
water to have existed, Mars must have had a thicker atmosphere and a warmer
climate. Just as NASA said, “something is missing somewhere.”
CHEM
1045 Honors: Biology Group
Ines
Gonzales, Alexa Jauregui, Maria Rodriguez
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