DID MARS' DEEP INTERIOR CAUSE A LOSS OF ITS ATMOSPHERE?

A new study gives insight into how the Red Planet's magnetic field faded away

- Elizabeth Howell

Key changes deep in the core of Mars might have led to the planet losing its magnetic field early in its history, a new study suggests. Today Mars is a planet with a thin atmosphere that is unable to support substantial running water on the surface, but scientists have found evidence of ancient lakes, streams and perhaps oceans, suggesting that conditions used to be different. Scientists are eager to understand the presence (or absence) of water on Mars in its early history, particularly to inform assessments of the possibility of life on the Red Planet.

In particular, researchers want to understand what might have caused the planet's protective atmosphere to dramatically thin. Now, a new study examines changes in the planet's core that may have led to the magnetic field of Mars weakening over time, leaving the atmosphere vulnerable to erosion. The study team's work suggested that roughly 4 billion years ago within the core, "the behaviour of the molten metal thought to be present likely gave rise to a brief magnetic field that was destined to fade away." representatives of the University of Tokyo, where researchers were based, wrote.