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Mars

Ancient fingerprints in the clay

Nature volume 448, pages 31–32 (2007)Cite this article

The thermodynamics of ancient clays on Mars seems inconsistent with the idea that a thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide caused a warm, wet era in the planet's early history. What did cause it remains an enigma.

Volcanic rocks dominate the surface of Mars. In the cold, dry conditions that prevail there today, these rocks can persist with little chemical alteration. But the recent discovery by Mars orbiters and landers of sulphate and clay deposits on the planet indicates that Mars' ancient environment was different, and involved liquid water1. On page 60 of this issue2, Chevrier et al. add a new twist to this idea, with calculations showing how ancient martian clays formed in aqueous environments, but with little carbon dioxide present. That runs contrary to a popular view of an early Mars where liquid water was sustained by the greenhouse effect of a thick, CO2-rich atmosphere.

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Figure 1: Subsurface smectites.

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  1. David C. Catling is in the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Queen's Road, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK. david.catling@bristol.ac.uk,

    David C. Catling

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  1. David C. Catling
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Catling, D. Ancient fingerprints in the clay. Nature 448, 31–32 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/448031a

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