Monday, September 21, 2009

Why Is Mars Red?

Tim Sayell sends in a very interesting take on the red planet.

Conventional wisdom has it that Mars gained its' red hue from water that once flowed on the surface of Mars, oxidizing elements which over time left the planet with it ruddy coloring.

But according to the article in Yahoo News
  • after the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity landed on the planet in 2004, they found evidence of certain minerals that would have been destroyed by water, suggesting that the red dust on Mars never came into contact with flowing water.
  • (New research) implies that the red tones on the planet are a relatively recent development. A simple grinding down of rocks from erosion could produce a red mineral that stains the dust on Mars, the new thinking goes.
Very interesting! click here for more

No comments: