The remains of a glacier that were found near the equator on Mars suggest the possible presence of water in some form, which would have implications for science and human exploration.
The glacier in question was unveiled this week as part of the 54th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference held in The Woodlands, Texas. It is located in the east of Noctis Labyrinthusen, in the vicinity of the equator of Mars, and it is estimated that is 6 kilometers long and up to 4 kilometers wide.
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In reality, what they have found is not a glacier itself, but rather its remains: a deposit of sulfate salts with the detailed morphological characteristics of these landforms.
Leaving the glacier
In geological terms, the surface feature has been identified as a “leaving the glacier”, a term used to describe structures or minerals that originated in a parent rock but did not undergo metamorphic changes just like the surrounding rock, or rocks that survived destructive geological processes.
In this particular case, when pyroclastic materials such as volcanic ash, pumice, and hot lava blocks come into contact with water ice, they can generate sulfate salts similar to those commonly found in pyroclastic deposits. light tones on Mars. These salts can accumulate in a hard layer of salt.
Composition in false color. Credit: NASA MRO HiRISE and CRISM Lee et al. 2023
Leaving the remains of the glacier
With the passage of time, erosion removed the volcanic materials that covered the surface, exposing a layer of sulfates that reflected the ice of the glacier below. This may explain why a salt deposit with unique glacial features such as crevices and moraine bands can now be observed.
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It is unknown if water ice still exists below the salt deposit or if it has completely disappeared.
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According to experts, water ice is not stable on the surface of Mars near the equator, so it is possible that all the water ice on the glacier has sublimated. However, also there is a possibility that part of it is still protected shallow under sulfate salts.
If this second possibility is finally confirmed, this would not only open a new path of scientific study of the planet, but would also be good news for establishing future bases on the Red Planet.