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Geologists Find First Evidence of Hydrothermal Activity On Mars


Geologists Find First Evidence of Hydrothermal Activity On Mars
The Planetary Society
June 3, 1998

Scientists Find Large Deposit of Mineral Hematite,
Which Usually Originates around Bodies of Water

Mars Global Surveyor geologists may have found a
hot spot for future NASA Mars missions to
concentrate on. Scientists at Arizona State
University monitoring data from the thermal
emission spectrometer -- a geology mapping device
on the Surveyor spacecraft now in orbit around
Mars -- have found evidence of a large deposit of
mineral hematite, a rock with implications for the
possible development of life.

Phil Christensen, principal investigator for the
spectrometer, said that coarse-grained hematite
originates from thermal activity and/or from
bodies of water. Many scientists believe that Mars
was once warmer, and the presence of hematite may
indicate that abundant water and thermal activity
previously existed there.

"The TES results provide the first evidence that
suggests a large-scale hydrothermal system may
have operated beneath the martian surface at some
time during the planet's history," Christensen
said. "Even more intriguing is the possibility
that the hematite may have initially precipitated
from a large body of water. The occurrence of
hematite in this single region provides additional
evidence that a unique process has occurred. This
is one of the best places to look for evidence of
life on Mars."

"The existence and location of these deposits will
provide a positive indication that hot water once
existed near the martian surface and will provide
important information to aid in the selection of
future landing sites for exploration and the
collection of samples for return to Earth,"
Christensen said.

The search for hydrothermal deposits and other
indicators of water at the surface are prime
objectives of the TES mission. Christensen
reported the hematite find last week at the
American Geophysical Union spring conference in
Boston.