The Hidden Secrets of a Planet Believed to Once Support Life, Revealed by Two Cosmic Treasures.
A research team led by geologist James Day from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (University of California, San Diego, USA) has analyzed the “treasures from another planet” unearthed in France in 1815 and in Egypt in 1905.
These are the strange Chassignite meteorite (from Chassigny – France) and the Nakhlite (from Nakhla – Egypt), which attracted the attention of scientists over 100-200 years ago, at the time of their discovery.
However, only now have modern techniques revealed the secrets they conceal: The structure of the crust and mantle of Mars.
Cosmic treasure from Egypt – Nakhlite meteorite – (Photo: UC SAN DIEGO).
These two space rocks have different compositions. Nakhlite is basalt, containing the minerals augite and olivine. Chassignite is almost entirely composed of olivine.
On Earth, basalt is abundant in the crust, while olivine is prevalent in the mantle.
According to Science Alert, a meticulous process of examination and comparison has helped researchers determine that they formed in the same volcano approximately 1.3 billion years ago.
The differences in these meteorites are due to a process called fractional crystallization, where varying conditions cause liquid magma to solidify into different configurations.
Nakhlites are part of the Martian crust, which has been slightly altered by interaction with the planet’s atmosphere, while Chassignites are buried in the mantle.
Distinct structure of the Chassignite meteorite – (Photo: UC SAN DIEGO).
Interestingly, these two cosmic treasures illustrate that volcanic activity on Mars is both similar to and different from volcanic activity on Earth.
The process of fractional crystallization seems to occur in a similar manner, producing dominant basaltic rocks in the crust and dominant olivine rocks in the mantle, akin to volcanic activity on Earth.
However, the magma reservoirs and related materials on Mars are extremely ancient, having separated shortly after the formation of the red planet, rather than being interconnected as they are on Earth.
This may be due to Mars lacking tectonic plate processes – a cycle that causes Earth’s landmasses to be rearranged, with continents repeatedly merging into supercontinents and then breaking apart.
Thus, the current structure of Mars may also provide a glimpse into the primordial Earth before it was disrupted.
The study has just been published in the journal Science Advances.
