Geochemical Creation of Methane

  • Released Thursday, January 15, 2009
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Conceptual animation depicting how geochemical processes during the course of Mars' history may have produced the methane plumes now seen in Mars' atmosphere. Here, through a process called serpentinization, methane is generated as part of a reaction involving the conversion of liquid water (seen seeping into the planet's crust), iron oxide, and carbon dioxide energized by the planet's internal heat into serpentine minerals.

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

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.

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