STORY SOURCE: Jeffrey Ryan813) 974-0325 Media Contact: Marsha Strickhouser 813) 974-9051
USF geologist helps search for water in Mars' rocks TAMPA, Fla. (Jan. 25, 2001) -- Researchers from MIT, University of Tennessee, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of South Florida have found evidence of water in rocks found from meteorites from Mars, according to a Jan. 25 article in the journal Nature.
Jeffrey G. Ryan, chairman of USF's Department of Geology, was part of the team that found evidence that significant amounts of water may still exist in the Martian interior."It is just one more piece of the picture of similarities between Earth and Mars," said Ryan.
Using a method Ryan pioneered more than 10 years ago, the researchers looked at the characteristics of traces of boron and lithium -- elements which suggest water -- existing in the rocks. The meteorite used in their work was the Shergotty meteorite, found in Shergotty, India, in 1865.
The research adds to the growing evidence of water on Mars. In December, NASA announced that it had found evidence that lakes existed on Mars billions of years ago, and in May 1999, researchers found evidence that oceans had existed on the planet.
Ryan may be reached at (813) 974-0325 or [email protected].
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