Mars dried out due to a combination of losing its magnetic field, atmospheric escape to space, sequestration of water into minerals underground, and complex feedback between solar luminosity, atmospheric chemistry, and orbital forces.[1][2][3]
Loss of Magnetic Field & Atmosphere
Mars's core cooled and solidified billions of years ago, causing the planet to lose its global magnetic field. Without this protection, the solar wind stripped away much of the Martian atmosphere over millions of years. The thin atmosphere could no longer retain heat or prevent water from evaporating, causing Mars to become cold and dry.[4][1]
Water Escape to Space
Water on the surface and in the atmosphere became vulnerable. Sunlight breaks water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, and the lighter hydrogen atoms escape into space. Mars’s low gravity made it difficult to retain these atoms, amplifying atmospheric escape—especially during periods when Mars was closer to the Sun due to its elliptical orbit.[5][2]
Water Sequestration in Minerals
Chemical reactions between water and Martian rocks trapped significant amounts of water underground as hydrated minerals like clays and serpentine. Unlike Earth, Mars's inactive geology prevented recycling of crustal water back into the atmosphere, making this loss permanent.[6][7]
Climate and Orbital Feedback
Mars’s climate history involved cycles of wet and dry periods driven by chaotic changes in its orbit and interactions between liquid water, carbon dioxide, and carbonate minerals. Weathering removed carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, reducing pressure and temperature, further limiting liquid water and making desert-like conditions dominant except for brief warm episodes.[8][9][3]
Summary Table: Key Factors in Mars Drying Out
Factor | Description |
Magnetic field loss | Allowed solar wind to erode the atmosphere[1][4] |
Atmospheric escape | Hydrogen/oxygen lost to space as water molecules broke apart[5][2] |
Mineral sequestration | Water trapped in clays and other minerals, no crustal recycling[6][7] |
Climate feedback | Carbon cycling, orbital changes limited wet episodes[9][3] |
Mars’s drying was a result of interconnected physical, chemical, and orbital processes operating over billions of years, ultimately transforming it from a water-rich planet to the dry world we observe today.[2][5][1]
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- https://daily.jstor.org/how-mars-lost-its-magnetic-field-and-then-its-oceans/
- https://time.com/7018680/where-did-all-of-mars-water-go/
- https://www.universetoday.com/articles/how-the-chemistry-of-mars-both-extended-and-ended-its-habitability
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2JwkZOio5c
- https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/how-did-mars-lose-its-water
- https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/what-happened-to-marss-water-it-is-still-trapped-there
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8370096/
- https://news.uchicago.edu/story/why-did-mars-dry-out-new-study-points-unusual-answers
- https://www.reddit.com/r/Mars/comments/1lqs2uu/was_mars_doomed_to_be_a_desert_study_proposes_new/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/uyaogu/how_did_the_water_disappear_on_mars/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_on_Mars
- https://scitechdaily.com/what-happened-to-mars-water-a-new-study-offers-a-startling-answer/
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