Carbon 'Buried' in Martian Rocks May Explain How Mars Lost Its Atmosphere

By detecting siderite, NASA's robot is able to better understand how some of the atmospheric CO2 has disappeared from the Red Planet, trapped in this carbonated rock.

Curiosity Just Found the Long-Lost Carbon That Made Mars Habitable

NASA’s Curiosity rover has uncovered a missing piece in the puzzle of Mars’ past atmosphere. Scientists discovered siderite—an iron-rich carbonate mineral—in layered rock near the surface of Gale Crater, suggesting that Mars once had enough carbon dioxide to support liquid water. This could explain why previous attempts failed to find expected carbonates: they were hidden [...]

What Happened to Mars’ Lost Atmosphere? New Clues May Explain Why It Disappeared.

Scientists have pondered why Mars seemed to be missing sufficient carbonates indicative of its warm, wet past. Now, NASA’s Curiosity rover may have just solved the mystery.

A NASA rover just exposed something on Mars that eluded orbiters

A NASA rover taking rock samples on Mars has uncovered a plentiful mineral that was invisible to orbiters studying the Red Planet from space.Scientists say the discovery of siderite, a type of iron carbonate, could be crucial evidence to support the theory that Mars once had a thick carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere, allowing a warm enough environment to support oceans, lakes, and streams.  Curiosity, a car-sized lab on six wheels, performed a chem…

Carbon 'Buried' in Martian Rocks May Explain How Mars Lost Its Atmosphere

Mars once breathed carbon in and out just like Earth does today. NASA's Curiosity rover has uncovered evidence that the Red Planet had its own version of Earth's carbon cycle. The post Carbon ‘Buried’ in Martian Rocks May Explain How Mars Lost Its Atmosphere appeared first on Study Finds.

NASA's Curiosity rover finds major clue that Mars was once habitable

NASA's Curiosity rover has found iron-rich carbonates on Mars — a major clue that the Red Planet used to be habitable.