Water flowing beneath the surface of ancient Mars suggests life may once have been possible on the Red planet, according to a new analysis by researchers from Brown University.
The study, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, bolsters the idea that the subsurface environment on Mars once had an active hydrology and could be a good place to search for evidence of past life.
The study conducted by Lee Saper and Jack Mustard suggest the ridges, many of them hundreds of metres in length and a few metres wide, had been noted in previous research, but how they had formed was not known.
Saper and Mustard thought they might once have been faults and fractures that formed underground when impact events rattled the planet's crust.
Water, if present in the subsurface, would have circulated through the cracks, slowly filling them in with mineral deposits, which would have been harder than the surrounding rocks. As those surrounding rocks eroded away over millions of years, the seams of mineral-hardened material would remain in place, forming the ridges seen today.
Using high-resolution images from Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the researchers noted the orientations of the ridges and composition of the surrounding rocks.
The orientation data is consistent with the idea that the ridges started out as fractures formed by impact events. Importantly, researchers also found that the ridges exist exclusively in areas where the surrounding rock is rich in iron-magnesium clay, a mineral considered to be a telltale sign that water had once been present in the rocks.
"The association with these hydrated materials suggests there was a water source available," Saper said.
Mars colony project bags first investor
The ambitious $6 billion Mars mission that aims to colonize the Red planet and stage a reality show around it has attracted its first investor.
The Netherlands-based nonprofit organization Mars One, aims to land four astronauts on Mars in 2023, has secured investments that will fund conceptual design studies and its astronaut selection programme, officials said.
It plans to stage a global reality-TV event around the one-way mission, with cameras following every step of the way from astronaut selection to the settlers' first years on planet, Space.com reported.
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