[Geology2] Rocks on Mars may provide link to evidence of living organisms

Rocks on Mars may provide link to evidence of living organisms roughly 4
billion years ago
EurekAlert [USA], 29-Jul-2010

A new article in press of the journal Earth and Planetary Science
Letters unveils groundbreaking research on the hydrothermal formation of
Clay-Carbonate rocks in the Nili Fossae region of Mars. The findings may
provide a link to evidence of living organisms on Mars, roughly 4
billion years ago in the Noachian period. The paper "Hydrothermal
formation of Clay-Carbonate alteration assemblages in the Nili Fossae
region of Mars", by Adrian J. Brown et al, suggests that carbonate
bearing rocks found in the Nili Fossae region of Mars are made up of
hydrothermally altered ultramafic (perhaps komatiitic) rocks. It also
shows that the carbonates at Nili Fossae are not pure Mg-carbonate.
Moreover, the study explains that talc is present in close proximity to
the carbonate locations - rather than previously suggested saponite -
and talc-carbonate alteration of high-Mg precursor rocks has taken
place.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-07/e-rom072910.php

Noachian - Wiktionary
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Noachian

Geology of Mars - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology_of_Mars

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