Monday, January 06, 2014

Lake on Mars could have teemed with microbial life





An enormous crater near the northern plains of Mars once harboured an ancient lake that could have supported microbial life, Nasa scientists have claimed.

The freshwater lake stood for more than 100,000 years at the base of Gale crater, a 90-mile-wide formation created when a meteor hit the planet about 3.7bn years ago.

Tests on rock samples by Nasa's Curiosity rover revealed the presence of fine clay minerals that formed in a standing body of water, and coarse-grained sandstones laid down by river flows that drained into the lake.


Read more: http://inovemondi.forumfree.it/?t=67865570

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