surface of Mars
A new study reveals that the planet Mars was mostly blue before it became red, so while researchers have long agreed that the red planet previously carried water, the amount of water it contained was a matter of debate, and a new study reveals that 4.5 years ago A billion years ago, Mars was covered in 984 feet (300 meters) of deep oceans, which would make it blue instead of its current colour.
According to the British newspaper “Daily Mail”, researchers from the University of Copenhagen hope that the results will bring humanity one step closer to answering a vital question: Did Mars have life at all?
The study estimates that oceans covered the entire planet, and could range in depth from 984 feet (300 meters) to 3,280 feet (1,000 meters).
Given that the planet is about half the size of Earth, Professor Martin Pizarro, of the Center for Star and Planet Formation, says that by comparison, there is actually very little water on our planet.
According to Professor Pizarro, this water was brought to Mars by asteroids filled with ice, and in addition to water, icy asteroids also brought biologically relevant molecules such as amino acids to Mars.
Amino acids are used when DNA and RNA form bases that contain everything a cell needs, Professor Pizarro explained: This happened during the first 100 million years of Mars, but after this period, something catastrophic happened to potential life.
As Professor Pizarro explained, unlike Earth, Mars does not have tectonic plates deep beneath its surface, as scorching molten rock has cooled for a long time to form a rocky mantle. This allows them to study Mars’ past in a way that is impossible to do on Earth.