Gemstone outcrops found on Mars

Ananova ^ | Oct. 24, 2003 | Ananova

[grimalkin]

Large outcrops of a gemstone mineral commonly used in jewellery have been found on the surface of Mars.

On Earth, the mineral olivine takes the form of the brilliant green gemstone peridot.

An instrument aboard a Nasa spacecraft spotted a 30,000 square kilometre area rich in olivine in the Nili Fossae region of Mars.

The mineral, detected by the Mars Global Surveyor, was exposed on the surface. Scientists believe it might have been thrust up from below the ground by faults and fractures that cover the area.

Olivine is abundant in the Earth's outer mantle, the layer just below the surface crust. It breaks down quickly because of Earth's relatively warm, wet weather.

Conditions are very different on Mars, which is cold and dry. How much of the unweathered mineral is found on the planet may provide clues about its ancient climate.

If the mineral has been there since early in the planet's history, it would mean Mars has been cold and dry most of its life. But many scientists believe Mars was once much more like the Earth, with running water and a thicker atmosphere.

A team of US researchers led by Todd Hoefen of the US Geological Survey in Denver, Colorado, reported the findings in the journal Science.

Nili Fossae is thought to have formed at least 3.6 billion years ago, giving an upper limit for the appearance of olivine on the surface.

The scientists wrote: "If the olivine was exposed shortly after the impact event, the martian surface may have been dry and cold for more than three billion years, but if the olivine was recently uncovered at the surface, then it could have been cold and dry for as little as a few thousand years."

Story filed: 19:06 Thursday 23rd October 2003

[xrp]

old news, already posted

[potlatch]

Not old news to me! That's my birthstone, but I'm not traveling there to get some, LOL.

[grimalkin]

Thanks. I couldn't find it.

[maestro]

I'll bet this area was,...."Salted".....

:-)

[Joe Hadenuf]

Bump.....

[FreedomCalls]

The scientists wrote: "If the olivine was exposed shortly after the impact event, the martian surface may have been dry and cold for more than three billion years, but if the olivine was recently uncovered at the surface, then it could have been cold and dry for as little as a few thousand years."

In other words, "we don't know jack squat about what this means for Martian climatology but they wanted a quote and we had to say something."

[joesnuffy]

well now we better start genetically engineering some mutants
for mining Mars..

[TaMoDee]

Olivine and peridot are common in the Mojave Desert.

[PoorMuttly]

Oh great.

I KNEW I should't have listened to shaggy. "Don't worry...they'll never find it here. They could look a thousand years. You always worry too much. Let's get a sandwich."

Now I have to move it before Bert and his evil minions get there.

I bet I do look kind-of dashing in my little surplus Russian Dogmonaut space suit if you enlarge the picture. I'm on the right, over by the petrified Belgian Waffle stand...by the token booth for the old Gondolas...oh right, that big rock is in front of it, for the shade...since the bananna trees were all dried up after Bert and Crabby Appleton sold all the planet's water to those "Jeep" guys.

[Bernard Marx]

Olivine and peridot are common in the Mojave Desert.

Common? Tell me more. I cut gems and I'd love to have a source for peridot rough.

[GeronL]

aaahhh grate... and ah joost bet yah goin to staht with the Irish ah ya?

[Miss Marple]

Crabby Appleton...rotten to the core!

You realize that this person is known only to those of us who are of an age to have seen those cartoons on Captain Kangaroo, don't you? LOL!

[GeronL]

Well, I guess we should start building that ship for Mars right now.

Red Planet Express, all aboard

[PoorMuttly]

That's HIM !

Hey...he can't see ME, can he...?!!!

[Bernard Marx]

I've been waiting to go prospecting on another planet as long as I can remember. I doubt I'll be around long enough to make the trip. I DO have a couple of pieces of metallic meteorite containing brownish olivine I've cut into gems. It gives me an eerie feeling to handle them, knowing they're from outer space.

[marron]

This is good news. The thing that will bust space exploration wide open is an interesting core sample; or perhaps a few interesting core samples.

To me priority one should be getting those core samples back from the Moon, Mars, and the asteroids.

Where is Bruce Willis when you need him? Probably playing harmonica in Kabul when he should be suiting up for the big one.

[A CA Guy]

Could be olivine or the BLOB...Be CAREFUL!

[Drammach]

Remember this one?
Yeah, I'm an old-timer.. ;o9

[TaMoDee]

"Common" was over stated. "Occurs" is more like it.

I'm researching sources for the locations for you. I saw the crystals about 20 years ago. If I find/remember the location I'll let you know.

The crystals are available from various sellers on the internet who state that the crystals are from the Mojave Desert.