Re: Question, Should Concretions Form in the Frozen Arctic?
- From: "Jonathan" <beals@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 2 Jan 2007 22:26:30 -0500
"Jo Schaper" <jospamnotschaper34@5socket78dot9net> wrote in message
news:12pjo9ifd8a6lbb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Jonathan wrote:
The next Mars lander, Phoenix, will be landing in
the north arctic area of Mars, in an area where
the ice has just retreated. Exposing ice rich
soil for sampling to look for organic material.
So far, those hematite concretions on Mars
have been found at both Rover landing sites.
And the poor images from Sojourner also
show what appear to be the very same
blueberries.
Question. Should inorganic mineral concretions
also form in areas that are perpetually frozen?
Isn't it true the formation of mineral concretions
require liquid water?
What if the blueberries are found there also?
Cool. Blueberry sherbert.
Won't prove anything. Plant and tropical animal fossils are found in
Antarctica.
Climates change over time. It's unclear how tectonically active Mars was
in the past, but if it was, likely conditions may have been right for
concretions to form at what is now the pole.
There's only a little evidence for tectonics. Doesn't appear much if any.
http://www.lukew.com/marsgeo/tectonic3.html
Isn't it true the shape, size and content of concretions are highly
dependent on local conditions? So far we two very different local
environments at the two rover sites, yet very similar concreations
in shape, size and composition. If the same spheres appear in
an arctic site, wouldn't it be highly improbable that all three
sites could have had such similar conditions?
Not proof, but it strains logic to think Mars only creates
this /one kind/ of concretion. To the exclusion of all others.
We see only the one kind in size, shape and composition.
And so many of them? Concretions that no one can
explain the single 'dimple' or aperture.
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all/2/m/1031/2M217894337EFFAS20P2956M2M1.JPG
The next mars mission next year is going to the arctic
region, to an area where the yearly ice has just retreated.
And water/ice should still be in the surface soil.
To look for organic material, and according to them, maybe
even this...
"It is even possible for bacteria to lie dormant in dry, airless, bitterly
cold conditions for millions of years and then become re-activated when
conditions become more favorable to their existence. These organisms
have special "resting" cells, called endospores, that allow them to go
into a dormant state. Such dormant microbial colonies may exist in
the Martian arctic, where - due to the periodic wobbling of the planet's
axis - liquid water may exist at the surface for brief periods about every
100,000 years. During these temporary intervals of liquid water, the
soil environment could transform into a habitable environment for
the microbes."
http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/mars142.php
.
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