Scientists have proposed a new explanation for the loss of Mars' magnetic field. An article about this was published in Nature Communications.

The magnetic field of the planet is a necessary condition for the existence of developed life on Earth. It protects against charged cosmic particles, which would otherwise harm the body and gradually blow the atmosphere into space. Billions of years ago, Mars was rich in water and had a dense atmosphere, but the disappearance of the magnetic field led to the loss of both.

Scientists from the University of Tokyo, led by Shunpei Yoko, have proposed a new model of what changes in the planet's core led to the stop of the dynamo that produces the magnetic field. "Earth's magnetic field is produced by convective currents of molten metal in the core," the authors write. “Although the exact structure of the Martian core is not yet clear, the study of meteorites has led us to the conclusion that it is composed of iron enriched with sulfur. In addition, the data from the InSIGHT seismographs indicate that the Martian core is less dense than previously thought, and rich in light elements.”

Scientists have prepared an alloy with a composition that mimics the core of Mars: iron, sulfur and hydrogen. They placed it in a cell with a diamond anvil - a press for creating a very high pressure of several gigapascals. Then the alloy was heated with a laser and the ongoing processes were monitored using the X-ray diffraction method.

As a result, two immiscible liquids were formed in the cell: one of them was rich in hydrogen, the other in sulfur. According to scientists, the same thing happened in the depths of Mars. The division of the liquid core into immiscible parts led to its stratification, which stopped the convective flows and, consequently, the magnetic dynamo.

Now, scientists are hoping to find out if Mars' core is really layered with the help of seismic data.

Earlier, astronomers found out that not a Falcon 9 falls on the moon, but a Chinese rocket.

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