Scientists drilling more than a mile deep into Antarctic ice have unearthed a mineral that is rarely seen Soil but to be found in abundance on Mars, Science Magazine reported.
The yellow-brown mineral, called jarosite, requires both water and acidic conditions to form, according to NASA – conditions that are now hard to find on the Red Planet. Nevertheless, after the Opportunity rover first discovered jarosite on Mars in 2004, the mineral surfaced at various Mars locations, leaving scientists to wonder how the mineral became so common, Science reported.
Some theorized that when ice covered the planet billions of years ago, dust with the required minerals – iron, sulfate and potassium – may have been trapped inside.
Incredible Earth: $ 22.99 at Magazines Direct
The planet we live on is a remarkable place. But have you ever wondered how or why these things happen? How was the Earth made? How do we predict the weather? How do fossils form? What causes earthquakes or which animals glow in the dark? “Incredible Earth” reveals answers to these questions and more on an exciting journey through everything you need to know about our world – and with beautiful photography and insightful diagrams along the way! View deal
“Mars is such a dusty place – everything is covered in dust,” study author Giovanni Baccolo, a geologist at the University of Milan-Bicocca, told Science. But while ice could have provided the wet environment needed to convert oxygen to jarosite, scientists have never actually seen dust and ice react chemically to form the mineral.
But the discovery of jarosite particles trapped in Antarctica’s ice may support the theory, the researchers reported in an article published Jan. 19 in the journal Nature Communications.
Related: 7 Most Mars-Like Places on Earth
On Earth, jarosite is a rare mineral that shows up in mining tailings exposed to air and rain, Science reported. It can also form near the vents of volcanoes, according to NASA. Baccolo and his colleagues never expected to find the mineral in Antarctica, he told Science; but when the team pulled an ice core about a mile long (1,620 meters) from the ground, they found traces of jarosite, smaller than grains of sand, buried in the deepest layers of the ice.
After examining the particles with an electron microscope, the team concluded that the jarosite had formed in cavities in the ice. This finding indicates that the mineral formed in the same way on Mars, although jarosite occurs in “ meter-thick deposits, ” on the Red Planet, not as a few thin grains, says Megan Elwood Madden, a geochemist at the University of Oklahoma who doesn’t involved in the research, Science said.
These ultra-thick plates of jarosite may have formed on Mars because the Red Planet is much more dusty than Antarctica, leaving more raw material to form jarosite, Baccolo noted. “This is just the first step in connecting deep Antarctic ice with the Martian environment,” he said.
You can read more about the discovery at Science Magazine.
Originally published on Live Science.