McLaughlin Crater - A Once Lively Lake?

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McLaughlin Crater on Mars may have once been home to a massive lake! That's according to new spectrometer date from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).

McLaughlin is a 92 kilometers (57 miles) in diameter and 2.2 kilometers (1.4 miles) deep. The crater's extreme depth tapped into typically unexposed underground channels of water, which then filled the crater.

Click to see larger, annotated, and captioned version from NASA

MRO discovered clays and carbonates, which only form in the presence of water, on the floor of McLaughlin Crater. We know small underground channels fed this massive lake because there is no evidence of any large outflow channels leading into the crater. Additionally, small channels within the crater end at a certain point on the crater wall, which was likely the level of of the lake.

This new discovery of clays and carbonates in McLaughlin Crater has added even more hope that life once, or maybe still does, exist on Mars. The presence of carbonates in particular indicates that the lake likely had low-acid content because carbonates generally do not remain preserved in high-acid environments. Life as we know is most likely to exist in low-acid environments, so having this knowledge makes scientists think this crater and the underground tributary channels may be the ideal place to search for evidence of past and/or present life.

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What is Mars Science Lab Looking for?

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Below is an image pointing out clays and sulfates in the lower portion of Mount Sharp within Gale Crater. Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity is set to land in Gale Crater on Monday 6 Aug at 0100ET.  From there MSL will begin examining the surrounding terrain, with special emphasis on the clay minerals and sulfates because those were likely formed during a period when Mars was more hospitable to life as we know it.

Source: Space.com

We know this because clays and sulfates are formed in the presence of water. Orbital studies of Gale Crater have indicated that the water that once filled the crater was less acidic than in other areas previously studied on Mars. Water is more hospitable to life when it is less acidic, so scientists hope that examining the clays and sulfates formed in that water will tell them whether Mars was, or still is a conducive environment to life as we know it. 

A lot of people think that Mars Science Laboratory was sent to Mars to find life, but this isn't the case. It is landing on Mars to determine if the conditions on Mars were or still are favorable to life. That doesn't mean MSL couldn't find life, it just means that it isn't searching for it.

Source: NASA/JPL

So why does Mars Science Laboratory's mission matter? If we find out that Mars was or still is an environment that can sustain life, it will raise our hopes that it did once contain life. The mission will examine the layers in Mount Sharp, giving us a better understanding of the timeframe during which the water on Mars disappeared. If we know when the water on Mars disappeared we can better determine why and perhaps learn how to prevent such a catastrophe from happening to us on Earth!

When we determine how long ago water was abundant on Mars we can start narrowing down our search for life by only examining sediments and other material formed during those time periods since water is generally thought to be necessary for the development of life. So Mars Science Laboratory is key to understanding more about the past on Mars and in the solar system!

Learn why MSL's Entry Descent and Landing will be 7 minutes of terror!

Mars Photo of the Day - 29 Jun 2012

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Today's Image of Mars shows colorful layers in Nili Fossae that are thought to contain carbonates. On Earth carbonates are commonly formed by marine organisms! Could it be that there was once life in the waters of Mars? Maybe!

Despite this tantalizing possibility, most scientsts are more reserved in their assessments, believing instead that there is some currently unknown reason why the carbonates formed on Mars. However, the scientists do say that water was most likely involved in the formation of the carbonates.

One day we may send a mission to this area in Nili Fossae, but for now we can only speculate and wonder about the origins of the carbonates. Clicking on this image will take you to the original high resolution image from HiRISE. [See their caption for the image]

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Mars Photo of the Day - Apr 6 2012

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Today's Image of Mars comes from Mars Express and shows some pit-chains near the bottom of one of the largest volcanoes in the solar system, Alba Mons. These pits are indicative of lava tubes below the surface, that form in volcanic regions where lava flows solidify near the surface, but continue flowing underneath. When the lava ceases flowing the caverns are left empty and sometimes the roof of the caverns will collapse, leaving the pits you see below. Lava pits like these are prime targets in the search for life on Mars.

One of the reasons scientists believe they have not yet detected any life on the surface is that the radiation levels are 250 times that experienced on the surface of Earth. This would be enough to kill most forms of life as we know it. What makes the lava tubes such a great target is that they are underground and shielded from much of the radiation that hits the surface. They have also been heated by the volcanic activity in the region and have likely experienced period when they were immersed in water, two key factors for life as we know it.

Clicking on this image will take you to the original high resolution image from Mars Express. [See their article on these collapse pits]

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