Mars Soil Contains Iron Sulfates, May Be Key To Life On Red Planet

We all know that water is one of the key ingredients for life. It was after the Curiosity rover detected the presence of salt water on the surface of Mars that the scientists have been continuously investigating about possible life, either extinct or living, on the planet.

The researchers have now used data collected from the 2001 Mars Odyssey probe to come to a conclusion that the soil on the Red Planet likely contains iron sulfates bearing chemically bound water. The study result pinpoints that iron sulfates could be playing a major role in hydrating martian soil, reported IFLScience.

The study findings, which has been published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, are based on the data collected by the 2001: Mars Odyssey Gamma Ray Spectrometer, or GRS. It successfully detected the composition of the ground to a depth of 0.5 meters (1.6 feet), which is deeper than any other orbiter or robotic explorer on the surface.

Nicole Button, study co-author from Louisiana State University, said that the research team is excited about the new findings as it contributes to the story of water on Mars, which they have used as a path for their search for life on Mars.

Relative to their previous work, which explored the association between sulfur and water on Mars, the research team used the data to estimate soil hydration and found that the southern hemisphere of Mars contain more chemically bound water than the northern hemisphere. It was also found that soil hydration is higher at lower latitudes in the south, but it increases with latitude in the north. It is believed that the difference in the amount of water in the soil of different regions could be based on factors like soil thickness, atmospheric circulation, sunshine, ice presence and depth.

To better understand how the Martian soil became rich in iron sulfates, the research team had proposed several hypotheses for its formation including hydrothermal activity, acid fog from the extinct volcanos, and efflorescence. However, they narrowed their research mainly on two hypotheses- hydrothermal activity and acid fog seem, according to Heritage Daily.

"The depth and breadth of these observation methods tell us about global significance, which can inform the big question of what happened to the hydrologic cycle on Mars," said Professor Suniti Karunatillake, co-author of the study.