Something long known as the Martian mineral was unexpectedly discovered deep within Earth’s Antarctic ice core.
It was jarosite, which was found on Mars in 2004 when a NASA probe landed on the fine grain of this strange mineral. This discovery was once caused by a chemical analysis showing that jarosite needed water, iron, sulfate, potassium, and an acidic condition to form. It is living proof of water on the red planet.
Research recently published in Nature Communications found that later people also discovered some jarosite on Earth in the waste pile from mining activities, exposed to air and rain. But this is the first time that this extraterrestrial mineral has appeared in a completely untouched location.
The Science journal quotes the explanation of Dr. Giovanni Baccolo, a geologist from Mikan-Biocca University and lead author of the study: on Mars, the alkaline basalt rock in the planet’s crust neutralizes the moisture in nature. Acid which contributes to this special material.
Another possible explanation, however, is that jarosite born in giant ice deposits could have covered the Red Planet billions of years ago. As the size of the ice caps increased, the dust that had accumulated in the ice was converted to jarosite in the pockets of mud between the ice crystals. And it could also happen on Earth during Ice Ages, leaving this seemingly alien mineral in deep ice.
The discovery comes from drilling in Antarctic permafrost to a depth of 1,620 meters, taking a long ice core to study the geological composition. According to Dr Baccolo, this sudden discovery will help connect the Antarctic environment to the beginning of March.
It could be breathtaking proof that Earth and Mars were born brothers. But the stages of planetary evolution have caused the extinction of this object, or forever being unable to produce complex life despite having the perfect materials and conditions before life.
