Where to hunt for iron on Mars
February 25th, 2010 - 1:27 pm ICT by ANISydney, Feb 25 (ANI): A new study by scientists could help future Martian explorers to locate minerals deposits of iron on Mars, as well as aid in the search for life on the red planet.
According to a report in ABC science, the study was carried out by Michael West of the Australian National University and Dr Jonathan Clarke of University of New South Wales.
They said that while there is mineral wealth on Mars, it won’t be easy to access.
“The bulk of the elements you would require if you want to have long term settlements could be found on Mars,” said West.
“(But) it’s unlikely in the near term that we’re going to see large-scale mining operations on the surface of Mars,” he added.
According to West, the most plentiful mineral on Mars is iron, reflected by the colour of the planet’s ‘rusted’ red surface.
He said that several years ago, NASA’s Opportunity rover discovered ball-bearing shaped deposits of haematite congregations - nicknamed ‘blueberries’ - that are rich in iron.
“The beauty of those is that you can extract them with a vacuum cleaner,” he said.
West, who is also a member of the Mars Institute, suggested that future Martian miners looking for fame and fortune should head towards the planet’s large craters and canyons.
“You want to go to places where you can see bedrock. If you go to an impact crater, it has done some of the excavation,” he said.
Other geological formations worthy of exploration include hydrothermal vents, which may exist on the Martian surface.
“The fluids (in the vents) generally act as a conduit to move minerals and concentrate them around where this activity occurs,” said West.
“It’s possible that there’s copper, zinc, lead. Wherever on Earth there is hydrothermal activity you tend to find those minerals,” he added.
The second study compared geological features in outback Australia with those found on Mars.
According to Professor Malcolm Walter, Head of the Australian Centre for Astrobiology at the University of New South Wales, knowing where certain minerals exist on the red planet will assist in the search for possible microbial life there.
“Certain minerals are very good at preserving microbes or indicative of certain sorts of environments where microbes are still living or have done so in the past,” he said. (ANI)
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