New light on Mars methane mystery

[minidog]

Large quantities of methane gas have been detected on Mars, Nasa scientists have announced in Science journal.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7829315.stm

 

[Dawn]

Methane? So they have cows on Mars?


Seriously, pretty strange phenomena.

 

[youwanttoshagme]

Good job theres no oxygen in the atmosphere then if there are pools of methane.

Or maybe someone did have a light and that's why there is no oxygen???

 

[om3ga]

Just in time for the "Transformers 2" flick.....

 

[somebadlemonade]

isn't methane a byproduct of decomposing organic matter?

 

[marquis2]

isn't methane a byproduct of decomposing organic matter?

It's found in lots of places out there-Titan has a lot of methane.It's a simple chemical, the simplest possible hydrocarbon, so it's likely to have been synthesised from its elements wherever they both exist together and conditions are right.
Methane is also widely produced by decomposition of organic waste eg landfill sites by the action of bacteria.It's quite possible that natural gas on Earth consists of some biological and some non biological methane.

 

[somebadlemonade]

ok i see, but how does the reaction happen without bacteria, i know it's abundant by the simple fact that it combines 2 of the most common elements in the universe, hydrogen and carbon. or maybe i am over thinking this, maybe it forms in the protostages of a planet, when it is hotter and pressures can be a lot higher