[meteorite-list] Astrobiologists Find Martian Clay Contains Chemical Implicated in the Origin of Life

[Pict]

There are no known Proterozoic claystones on Earth??

On 11/06/2013 12:13, "Ron Baalke" <baalke at zagami.jpl.nasa.gov> wrote:

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>http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/press-releases/MartianClay/
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>The significance goes beyond an interest in the red planet, as Hallis
>explains: "Earth and Mars used to have much more in common than they do
>today. Over time, Mars has lost a lot of its atmosphere and surface
>water, but ancient meteorites preserve delicate clays from wetter
>periods in Mars' history. The Martian clay we studied is thought to be
>up to 700 million years old. The recycling of the Earth's crust via
>plate tectonics has left no evidence of clays this old on our planet;
>hence Martian clays could provide essential information regarding
>environmental conditions on the early Earth."

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