Catastrophe on Mars – same to happen on Earth?

Investigators have revealed that mars once had enough water to cover the entire planet to a depth of 1.6 km. It had more water per square kilometre than Earth. The research is based on studies calculating the quantity of molecular hydrogen in the atmosphere.

Vladimir Krasnopolsky, of the Catholic University of America, declares: “There is great evidence that Mars had an ocean of water in a liquid state. But the climate changed. Mars became an icy desert”.

What caused this massive water loss has been a mystery until now. The researchers believe that most of the water on Mars was in contact with the rock base and soil, both very high in iron. Krasnopolsky said that over a period of 300 years, the water reacted with the iron, releasing molecular hydrogen into the atmosphere, in a process called hydrodynamic escape.

This, couple with asteroid and comet strikes, provoked an irreversible desertification process. On Earth, the issue lies almost exclusively in the responsible of one entity: mankind.

Timothy BANCROFT-HINCHEY PRAVDA.Ru