Catherine Weitz and her colleagues from the Institute of Planetary Science (USA) have found further evidence that life could once exist on Mars. They made such a conclusion based on data from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter interplanetary station. We are talking about two depressions 30-40 kilometers long, located in the Labyrinth of Night region
The fact is that the so-called iron-magnesium smectites, belonging to the category of clay minerals, were found in these depressions. This is a group of hydrous silicates formed as a result of weathering mainly of aluminosilicates and silicates of igneous and metamorphic rocks on the soil surface. Such rocks are formed in water with neutral acidity.
In addition, the nearby Tarsis Highlands are home to the largest extinct volcanoes in the solar system - Mount Olympus, Mount Askria, Mount Peacock, Mount Arsia, which are also called the "Tarsis Mountains", and, finally, the unique shield volcano Alba. According to experts, as a result of the release of magma, emissions of carbon dioxide and water vapor in an amount that would be enough to form an atmosphere with a pressure of 1.5 bar and a layer of water 150 meters thick should have occurred. Therefore, we can say that there is hydrothermal activity in these zones. This once again confirms the hypothesis that at an early stage in its history, the planet was humid and warm.
According to experts, unlike other Martian regions with the content of iron-magnesium smectites, the occurrence of which dates back to the so-called Noah period (more than 3.7 billion years ago), the age of the investigated deposits is only two to three billion years, that is, they were formed at the present stage of the geological history of Mars - in the Amazon era. Consequently, life could have survived here relatively recently, at least its simplest forms.
In addition, several mysterious wells have been discovered on Tarsis, the depth of which, according to estimates, is at least 178 meters. Scientists speculate that these voids are burned out beneath the surface by hot volcanic lava. The sharp edges of the "pits" testify to their geological youth.
Unfortunately, this region cannot be explored using a rover due to the lack of free equipment and the complexity of the terrain, which is unsafe for landing and movement. However, the operating rover Opportunity recently discovered similar conditions in the area of the Endeavor crater, favorable for the emergence of microorganisms.
Unfortunately, the evidence for "life on Mars" is plentiful, and most of it is based solely on visual effects. Either the “face of the Sphinx” is visible in the images of the Martian surface, or a human figure, or even as if the ruins of cities … Not to mention the “Martian channels”, which allegedly indicated the presence of artificial reservoirs on the Red Planet … Alas, in fact, there are no archaeological artifacts and there were no bodies of water on the desert planet.
True, last year, experts from Germany discovered on the slopes of the Martian canyon located in the Melas Chasma region, traces similar to channel channels, at the bottom of which there were sulfate compounds, usually formed as a result of oxidation processes under the influence of water. This allowed us to conclude that there was once a huge sea here.
Back in 2006, MARSIS radar detected vast accumulations of water ice under the planet's surface - and not only at the poles. In particular, a meteorite crater with a diameter of about 250 kilometers, located under the Chryse plain, is filled with ice.
Scientists believe that for a certain period, water on Mars existed not only in a frozen state, but also in a liquid state. The volcanoes melted the ice under the planet's surface, and the water flowed out. Some time later, it began to evaporate, as evidenced by the sulfate compounds found on the planet.
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Also, a group of geologists and astrobiologists from the SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center, when studying images from Mars, drew attention to the mysterious dark stripes on the slopes of the Martian mountains, which, according to experts, may represent streams of salt water. And such an environment is favorable for the reproduction of halobacteria.