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Early Mars

Without phosphate limits

Phosphorus is an important element for biogeochemical development. According to a set of experiments, martian phosphate minerals dissolve more quickly than terrestrial ones, possibly providing nutrients in aqueous environments for early martian life.

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Figure 1: A crystal (1 cm in length) of the phosphate-containing mineral fluorapatite.

© VIRGINIA PASEK

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Correspondence to Matthew Pasek.

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Pasek, M. Without phosphate limits. Nature Geosci 6, 806–807 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1929

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