A source of energy locked in the soil

Rome, September 25, 2024 – The Red Planet was not always as we see it today. the weather That covered Mars billions of years ago and then disappeared, leaving the cold desert we see today, may also be Interpol Ata Under the surface. The new theory comes from a study published in the journal Science Advances by two geologists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. According to the analysis, Water that once flowed on the red planet It may have triggered a series of chemical reactions that converted carbon dioxide into methane, which was then stored in the rocky crust, similar to what happened. It happens in some areas of the earth: if that were the case, Power source hidden on Mars Which could support future space missions.

Joshua Murray and Oliver Jagütz apply knowledge of some strange Martian features Processes also taking place on our planet, Assuming that the atmosphere of neighboring Earth is very rich in carbon dioxide. Over a period of about a billion years, water flowing to the surface Which crept between the rocks May react slowly with olivine, Iron-rich mineral. The oxygen in the water likely oxidized the iron, giving Mars its typical color, and released hydrogen. Eventually, the latter would have combined with carbon dioxide to produce methane, and the olivine would have slowly transformed first into serpentine and then into smectite, a clay.

“to thicket “He has something great,” Murray says. carbon storage capacityAccording to the study authors, if Mars is covered with a layer of this clay 1,100 meters deep, it is possible that Storing a large amount of methane gas, That is equivalent to about 80% of the planet’s initial atmosphere.