A 'smiley face '-shaped salt deposit on Mars has sparked intrigue among scientists, who believe it may conceal clues to the Red Planet's most enduring secret: the remnants of its last surviving life forms. Billions of years ago, Mars was teeming with vast lakes and rivers that vanished during a catastrophic global freeze. Now, researchers propose that this salt deposit, shaped like an emoticon, could be harbouring hardy microbes.
The European Space Agency's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, a Martian satellite on a quest to uncover signs of life on the Red Planet, has captured stunning images of the chloride salt deposits on Mars' arid surface. By studying these salt deposits, scientists can uncover clues about the planet's past climate, geology, and potential habitability.
''Why so serious? Once a world of rivers, lakes, and possibly oceans, Mars now reveals its secrets through chloride salt deposits found by our ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. These deposits, remnants of ancient water bodies, could indicate habitable zones from billions of years ago. The discovery of nearly a thousand potential sites offers new insights into Mars' climate and potential for past life. Explore the Martian landscape in this carousel,'' the post by ESA was captioned.
See the post here:
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by ESA – European Space Agency (@europeanspaceagency)
''A cold era began when Mars lost its magnetic field and could no longer hold its atmosphere, leading to water evaporating, freezing, or becoming trapped within the surface. As the water disappeared over time, it left mineral fingerprints on the surface. Very salty waters could have become a haven for life, a beacon for habitable places on Mars. High concentrations of salt allow water to remain liquid at temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius," Valentin Bickel, a planetary scientist at the University of Bern in Switzerland who led the recent research published in the journal Scientific Data, said.
The European Space Agency shared the post a day back. Since then, it has garnered more than 11,000 likes and several comments. One user wrote, ''That's so beautiful.'' Another said, ''Why so cheesy.''
A third commented, ''With this face shape, we have to wait for ridiculous theories.'' A fourth added, ''It would be great if there were some scale references to get the size of these craters.''
