Recommendation: “Sustained damp– dry cycling on early Mars” by W. Rapin, G. Dromart, B. C. Clark, J. Schieber, E. S. Kite, L. C. Kah, L. M. Thompson, O. Gasnault, J. Lasue, P.-Y. Meslin, P. J. Gasda and N. L. Lanza, 9 August 2023, Nature.DOI: 10.1038/ s41586-023-06220-3.
Funding: NASAs Mars Exploration Program and in France is conducted under the authority of CNES. Mastcam mosaics were processed by the Mastcam group at Malin Space Science Systems. Edwin Kite financing by NASA grant 80NSSC22K0731. Lucy Thompson financing as MSL employee is offered by the CSA.
” These features also point to the existence of wet-dry environments that in the world are very favorable to the advancement of organic particles and potentially life. Taken as a whole, these outcomes an offering us a clearer image of Mars as a habitable world.”
Climate Fluctuations and Environment Transitions on Mars
The presence of long-lasting damp environments, such as proof of ancient lakes on Mars, is well-documented, however far less is learnt about short-term environment fluctuations.
After years of exploring surface mainly consisted of silicates, the rover went into a brand-new location filled with sulfates, marking a significant environment transition. In this brand-new environment, the research study team discovered a change in mud fracture patterns, symbolizing a modification in the way the surface area would have dried. This indicates that water was still present on the surface of Mars episodically, indicating water might have existed for a time, evaporated, and repeated until polygons, or mud fractures, formed.
” A major focus of the Curiosity objective, and one of the main reasons for choosing Gale Crater, is to understand the shift of a warm and damp ancient Mars to a cold and dry Mars we see today,” stated Patrick Gasda of the Laboratorys Space Remote Sensing and Data Science group and coauthor of the paper. “The rovers drive from clay lakebed sediments to drier non-lakebed and sulfate-rich sediments is part of this shift.”
Earth-Like Mud Crack Patterns and Implications for Life
On Earth, initial mud cracks in mud form a T-shaped pattern, but subsequent wetting and drying cycles cause the fractures to form more of a Y-shaped pattern, which is what Curiosity observed. In addition, the rover found evidence that the mud fractures were just a couple of centimeters deep, which could mean that wet-dry cycles were seasonal, or may have even happened quicker, such as in a flash flood..
These findings might suggest that Mars once had an Earth-like damp climate, with seasonal or short-term flooding, and that Mars may have been able to support life at some time.
” Whats essential about this phenomenon is that its the perfect location for the development of polymeric molecules needed for life, including proteins and RNA, if the ideal organic molecules existed at this location,” Gasda stated “Wet periods bring particles together while dry periods drive reactions to form polymers. When these processes take place repeatedly at the same place, the possibility increases that more complex molecules formed there.”.
For more on this discovery:.
Patterns in mud cracks reveal that Mars may have had cyclical wetness patterns.: mud fractures on Earth, where wet-dry cycling has taken place, producing Y-shaped patterns.” These exciting observations of mature mud fractures are permitting us to fill in some of the missing history of water on Mars. How did Mars go from a warm, wet planet to the cold, dry place we understand today? In this new environment, the research study team discovered a modification in mud fracture patterns, representing a modification in the method the surface area would have dried.
Patterns in mud fractures reveal that Mars might have had cyclical moisture patterns. Left: the terrain in the Gale Crater where Curiosity is currently checking out. : mud fractures on Earth, where wet-dry cycling has actually taken place, developing Y-shaped patterns. Credit LANL
NASAs Mars Curiosity rover discovers proof of high-frequency wet-dry cycling in the Gale Crater.
New observations of mud fractures made by NASAs Mars Curiosity rover show that high-frequency, wet-dry cycling happened in early Martian surface environments, indicating that the red planet might have when seen seasonal weather patterns or perhaps flash floods. The research study was published recently in the clinical journal Nature.
” These interesting observations of mature mud fractures are allowing us to fill out some of the missing history of water on Mars. How did Mars go from a warm, damp world to the cold, dry location we understand today? These mud cracks show us that transitional time, when liquid water was less still active but plentiful on the Martian surface area,” stated Nina Lanza, principal investigator of the ChemCam instrument onboard the Curiosity rover.
