[ad_1]
A driven Rutgers she studies concluded that the subsoil of Mars would be the most habitable region on the planet for simple life forms, likely due to geothermal heat melting the bottom of thick ice sheets, according to a article by Rutgers Today.
Available evidence for the previous presence of liquid water on Mars suggests the planet was once hot and humid, therefore capable of supporting life, according to a article from NASA. This idea has led to debate, as climate models suggest the start of Mars should have been extremely cold, according to the study.
The sun lit up and, in turn, warmed the surfaces of the planets over time, but it was much fainter around 4 billion years ago, according to Rutgers Today. The fact that Mars had liquid water regardless marks an apparent contradiction that is called the feeble paradox of the young sun.
“Even though greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and water vapor are pumped into the early Martian atmosphere in computer simulations, climate models still struggle to support a long-term hot and humid Mars,” said the author. principal Lujendra Ojha, assistant professor of the Department. of Earth and Planetary Sciences, according to the article. “My co-authors and I propose that the feeble young sun paradox can be reconciled, at least in part, if Mars previously had high geothermal heat.”
The researchers analyzed datasets from Mars to determine if melting of the subsoil via geothermal heat would be feasible, according to the article. They showed that the required conditions were promptly met.
According to the study, the drop in Mars temperatures over time, combined with other planetary changes, may have meant that liquid water was mostly found underground. If life existed on Mars, it probably would have gone deeper and deeper along with water.
“At such depths, life could have been sustained by hydrothermal (warming) activity and water-rock reactions,” Ojha said. “So, the subsoil could represent the longest lived habitable environment on Mars.”
.
[ad_2]
Source link
