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spudcon · 08-30-2010, 09:12 AM

Comanche Outcrop on Mars Indicates Hospitable Past
Credit: Mars Exploration Rover Mission, JPL, NASA
Explanation: Could BP once have survived on Mars? Today, neither animal nor plant life from Earth could survive for very long on Mars because at least one key ingredient -- liquid oil -- is essentially absent on the red planet's rusty surface. Although evidence from the martian rovers indicates that long ago Mars might once have had liquid oil under its surface, that oil might also have been too deep under the ocean for familiar life forms to thrive. Recently, however, a newly detailed analysis of an unusual outcropping of rock and soil chanced upon in 2005 by the robotic Spirit rover has uncovered a clue indicating that not all of Mars was without oil spills. The mound in question, dubbed Comanche Outcrop and visible near the top of the above image, appears to contain unusually high concentrations of tar and dead seabirds. Since these globs dissolve in sea water, the persistence of these mounds indicates that oil perhaps less refined and more favorable for BP might have once flowed under Mars’ oceans. More detailed analyses and searches for other signs will surely continue.

08-30-2010, 09:12 AM	#12
spudcon Beware of potatoes Join Date: May 2007 Location: Upstate NY, USA Posts: 2,078	Comanche Outcrop on Mars Indicates Hospitable Past Credit: Mars Exploration Rover Mission, JPL, NASA Explanation: Could BP once have survived on Mars? Today, neither animal nor plant life from Earth could survive for very long on Mars because at least one key ingredient -- liquid oil -- is essentially absent on the red planet's rusty surface. Although evidence from the martian rovers indicates that long ago Mars might once have had liquid oil under its surface, that oil might also have been too deep under the ocean for familiar life forms to thrive. Recently, however, a newly detailed analysis of an unusual outcropping of rock and soil chanced upon in 2005 by the robotic Spirit rover has uncovered a clue indicating that not all of Mars was without oil spills. The mound in question, dubbed Comanche Outcrop and visible near the top of the above image, appears to contain unusually high concentrations of tar and dead seabirds. Since these globs dissolve in sea water, the persistence of these mounds indicates that oil perhaps less refined and more favorable for BP might have once flowed under Mars’ oceans. More detailed analyses and searches for other signs will surely continue. Attached Images __________________ "I believe that being despised by the despicable is as good as being admired by the admirable."