Minerals buried beneath the surface of Mars may be inhabited by several oceans of ancient water, researchers report. The new study, based on observational and modeling data, shows that much of the original water of the red planet – up to 99% – was lost by stagnant irrigation, without escape. to space. The findings help to reconcile the similar contradictions between projected environmental loss rates, the deuterium to hydrogen (D / H) ratio of present-day Mars and the estimates. geological on the amount of water that once covered the Martian surface. Ancient Mars was a wet planet – dry river beds and memorial shores record a time when a lot of melting water flowed over the surface. Today, very little of that water remains, mostly frozen in the planet’s ice caps. Previous studies have assumed that the lost water escaped into space over several billion years, a confirmation that is supported by the currently observed atmospheric D / H ratio. However, measurements of the current rate of atmospheric water loss are too low for atmospheric escape alone to explain all Martian water losses. Eva Scheller and her colleagues show how a lot of water can be absorbed into minerals buried in the planet’s crust. Using observation constraints from orbiting spacecraft, rovers and Martian meteorites, Scheller et al. they developed a water budget and a D / H model that considers atmospheric escape, volcanic degassing and humidification through chemical weather. By simulating Martian water loss through geological time and for a range of plausible scenarios, the authors found that Mars had lost most of its water – between 40-95% – over the Noachian period (~ 4.1 – 3.7 billion years ago). The findings state that between 30 and 99% of Mars’ first water was absorbed into minerals and buried in the planet’s crust, with a subsequent escape to much of the rest of the account. on the currently observed D / H ratio.
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