LOS ANGELES - A new theory is pouring some cold - actually, some really hot - water on the idea that Mars could have been habitable in the past.
Planetary scientists searching the red planet look for clues in clays, which can offer some indication that water flowed on or just under Mars' surface. But a new study suggests that, at least in some cases, those clays might be a red herring.
A paper published online Sunday by Nature Geoscience argues that such clays might have been formed in hot Martian magma rich in water. If so, that water would have been far too hot to support microbial life.
The argument contrasts with two more common theories, said study co-author Bethany Ehlmann, a planetary geologist at the California Institute of Technology.
One is that liquid water flowing across the Martian surface would have interacted with surrounding minerals, forming the clays. In another scenario, underground water warmed by the planet's internal heat could have provided a comfortable living environment before it got bound up in the mineral structure of clays.
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If either of the prevailing theories about water is true, the Martian environment could have been hospitable for life, Ehlmann said. Superheated water and magma? Not so much.
"The clays would form as the lava cools from 1,500 degrees Celsius," she said. "That would not be a good habitat."
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