NASA scientists find Mars full of opals

New Delhi, Jan 10: Mars has been surprising the scientific community a lot not just in terms of the chances of existence of life there but also in terms of new discoveries that the Mars missions bring on the table. The latest breakthrough has come from the researchers who believe that they have discovered a cache of gemstones on the surface of the red planet. There are several theories on how these gemstones were formed.

However, this has further implications for the people who are interested in life on Mars. For instance, scientists are of the view that since these gemstones or 'opals' are formed when silica is dissolved in water, the theory that the planet had water at some point of time gains momentum. Additionally, this could be quite recent in the planet's lifetime.

The scientists also believe that the Mars' subsurface regions of the crater may have once sheltered life. Their belief is based on the fact that only these regions could protect life from the harsh temperatures and radiation at the surface of Mars, especially since water may have evaporated thanks to heat on the surface.

Gale Crater teeming with opals

The exciting observations have come from the team of Arizona State University and NASA-affiliated researchers. In their report published recently in the 'Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets', they have brought in the conclusion that the existence of the opals suggests that the area held vast reserves of water and that too, quite recently.

This according to them would also set aside the theories that Mars had no life earlier. The experts would now need to rework on their theories and admit that there was ancient life on the red planet. Nonetheless, not once but multiple times researchers came across with "fracture halos" of lighter-colored rock in images taken by NASA's Curiosity rover.

This, according to the researchers, is made out of opal which are quite abundant on the red planet. Additionally, since the opals have been found in the Gale Crater, the researchers are of the view that there are higher chances of life in this region. However, they do not rule out life in other regions or craters of Mars.

Last but not the least, these gems might even end up serving a far more important purpose. For instance, since opals are made of the water and silica, they could definitely be used as a source for water to make life easy for cosmonauts. Hence, the latest findings have encouraged 'life on Mars' enthusiasts a lot.