Scientists from the Geophysical Institute of Texas University have found the reason why the traces of the ancient magnetic field of Mars are preserved almost only in the planet's southern hemisphere. The work has been published in the Journal of Geophysical Magazine (GRL).
When it pops out, the reason may be the magnetic field in the past that only exists in the south of Mars. Scientists have conducted a computer model and shows that an effect of such a person may occur if the core of Mars is completely liquid.
When there is no solid nucleus, having an asymmetrical magnetic field will be much easier, only half the planet, he explains the leading author of Chi Yang Research, a researcher at Jexson Geonac at Texas University.
Previously it was believed that Mars, like the ground, had a solid core surrounded by molten iron. However, the data of NASA's Insight landing shows that Mars's core includes lighter elements, which means it can be completely liquid.
In the model, scientists set a small difference in temperature between the north and the south of the coating: the north is hot. This leads to the fact that the heat from the core mainly passes through the southern part of the planet. A channel of such a Viking of the heat flow has created conditions for the appearance of a magnetic dynamics – a mechanism that creates a magnetic field.
We are not even sure whether this idea will work. But it turned out that it could really create a unilateral magnetic field in the internal structure corresponding to the current state of Mars, he added the fake coins of Sabina Stanley, a professor at Johns Hopkins University.
According to the authors, the results of the work not only provide new knowledge about the past of the red planet, but also bring us closer to understand how the conditions for life on it can be formed – and why it may not be preserved.