Search Here

Some data from the Mars rover Curiosity have shown us something new---a "higher" content of silicon than had been thought to exist in the Gale Crater, according to a press release.

The University of Copenhagen researchers feel that the environment might work out to be ideal for bacterial growth because gradual silica accumulation needs a combination of both heat and water.

"We have found an area with surprisingly high levels of silicon, and we are now working with several theories as to how this high concentration of silicon was formed. All the theories require large amounts of water and here on Earth a high silicon content is often associated with environments where there are excellent opportunities for life," said Jens Frydenvang, who works for the Mars Group at the Niels Bohr Institute.

One surmise is that Gale Crater was open to the acidic water, which could wash away other elements although the silicon was left behind. One more surmise is that silicon got shifted from other places, which could have been made possible only with alkaline or pH-neutral water.

A siliceous mineral called tridymite, which is rare on Earth and has not been seen on Mars, has also been identified.

"These new findings are both exciting and surprising," said Morten Bo Madsen, head of the Mars Group at the Niels Bohr Institute. "As we develop the understanding of the new findings in Gale Crater we may better understand the potential for early development of biology on Mars. Hypotheses for the formation of the silicon-compounds found involve hydrothermal activity and on Earth these kinds of environments are recognized as being conducive to microbial life and for preserving traces for posterity."