Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Basalt has been identified on Mars in many places. Instruments on orbiting spacecraft have detected clay (also called phyllosilicates ) in some layers. Scientists are excited about finding hydrated minerals such as sulfates and clays on Mars because they are usually formed in the presence of water. [ 2 ]
The mineralogy of Mars is the chemical composition of rocks and soil that encompass the surface of Mars. Various orbital crafts have used spectroscopic methods to identify the signature of some minerals .
Mars is differentiated, which—for a terrestrial planet—implies that it has a central core made up of high density matter (mainly metallic iron and nickel) surrounded by a less dense, silicate mantle and crust. [4] Like Earth, Mars appears to have a molten iron core, or at least a molten outer core. [5]
These areas include Gale Crater, Mawrth Vallis, Oxia Planum, and Nili Fossae, among others, and date to 4.0-3.7 Ga. There are two hypotheses to explain the formation and distribution of phyllosilicate clays on Mars: (1) subsurface and hydrothermal activity and/or diagenesis which yield trioctahedral phyllosilicates, and (2) surface / subaerial ...
On Mars, Bishop's research revealed these phyllosilicates are indicative of the presence of water. In 2011, Bishop examined carbonate rocks in the Mojave Desert as an analogue for conditions that may occur on Mars [8] and her subsequent research revealed the wide-spread presence of rocks with carbonate on Mars [9] which could be indicative of ...
Nili Fossae is a group of large, concentric grabens on Mars, in the Syrtis Major quadrangle. They have been eroded and partly filled in by sediments and clay-rich ejecta from a nearby giant impact crater, the Isidis basin. [1] It is at approximately 22°N, 75°E, and has an elevation of −0.6 km (−0.37 mi).
Phyllosilicates are sheet silicate minerals, formed by parallel sheets of silicate tetrahedra with Si 2 O 5 in a 2:5 ratio. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Phyllosilicates . Subcategories
To understand Mars' ancient climate, and whether it might have created environments habitable for life, first we need to understand Mars' climate today. Each mission to Mars has made new advances in understanding its climate. Mars has seasonal variations in the abundances of water vapor, water ice clouds and hazes, and atmospheric dust.