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Why is Mars red? Our old understanding might be wrong.
- A new study published in Nature Communications challenges the old understanding of how Mars got its red color.
- The hypothesis focuses on ferrihydrite, which might have formed when Mars still had water, potentially during a habitable period.
- Mars acquired its red color from rusted iron minerals reacting with water and oxygen, similar to rust formation on Earth.
- Iron in Mars' rocks reacted with oxygen and water in its wetter past, creating rust that was washed into rivers and seas.
- Volcanic activity and ice-melting events further contributed to the rust formation on Mars.
- New analysis suggests that Mars' red color is better matched by ferrihydrite, an iron oxide containing water, rather than hematite.
- Ferrihydrite likely formed when Mars still had water on its surface, preserving a watery signature for billions of years.
- Comprehensive proof of ferrihydrite in Martian dust was obtained through a study combining space mission data and lab experiments.
- ESA's Mars Express and Trace Gas Orbiter, along with NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and rovers, contributed to the research.
- Future missions like NASA's Perseverance rover and ESA's Rosalind Franklin rover aim to deepen the understanding of Mars' red color.
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