Methane Plume on Mars

  • Released Thursday, January 15, 2009
View full credits

The first definitive detection of methane in the atmosphere of Mars indicates the planet is alive in the sense that it still has geologic activity powered by heat from its interior, according to a team of NASA and university scientists.

The team used spectrometer instruments attached to several telescopes to detect plumes of methane that were emitted from specific sites during the warmer seasons - spring and summer.

Though nothing conclusive can yet be determined, it is possible that the detected methane was either produced by geologic processes such as the oxidation of iron (serpentinization) or by microscopic Martian life below the planet's surface. The methane released today could be produced currently, or it could be ancient methane trapped in ice 'cages' called clathrates or as gas below a sub-surface ice layer.

Visualization of a methane plume found in Mars' atmosphere during the northern summer season.

Color bar

Color bar

For More Information

See http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mars/news/marsmethane.html

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio

This page was originally published on Thursday, January 15, 2009.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:54 PM EDT.

Series

This page can be found in the following series: