New research has challenged the long-held assumption that Mars’ reddish hue is due to dry conditions, suggesting instead that iron oxide containing water was responsible for its color. The findings have significant implications for the search for life on the planet, with scientists proposing that Martian dust may be red today because it was blue in the past.
A team of researchers has rewritten our understanding of Mars’ distinctive red color, revealing that wet conditions played a key role in its formation. Contrary to previous assumptions, the iron oxide responsible for the Red Planet’s hue is not formed under dry conditions but rather requires liquid water and cold temperatures. This new perspective opens up fresh questions about Mars’ past and potential habitability.
The study analyzed data from multiple spacecraft orbiting Mars, including NASA’s Curiosity rover, to piece together an unprecedented view of the planet’s mineral composition and dust size. By replicating Martian dust in a laboratory setting, the researchers found that it closely matches signatures for ferrihydrite, an iron oxide that forms under wet conditions.
The discovery has significant implications for the search for life on Mars. Scientists believe that periods of aqueous alteration, or cold, wet conditions with active chemistry, may have occurred before the planet transitioned to its current desert state. This provides new constraints on the timeline of Mars’ habitability and indicates potential environments where microbial life could have thrived.
Future missions, such as ESA’s Rosalind Franklin rover and NASA-ESA Mars sample return, will allow scientists to probe deeper into what makes Mars red and gather more data on the planet’s history.
Source: https://www.livescience.com/space/mars/scientists-made-fake-martian-dust-and-found-a-big-surprise-about-what-makes-mars-red