Why is searching for life at Rio Tinto a good analog for searching for life on Mars?
The science of the MARTE experiment is an analog for searching for subsurface life on Mars. MARTE performs the scientific exploration of a previously unexplored subsurface site with the potential to support life. The experiment will attempt to determine whether subsurface life is present, and to characterize how this life obtains its energy. The search for life on Mars would be required to go through a similar process. NASA and CAB hope to use the MARTE experiment to guide development of equipment to be used to explore Mars. 3. Why is Rio Tinto like Mars? Answer: The Rio Tinto is located in the Iberian Pyrite Belt, a large deposit of sulfide minerals that was formed in an ancient hydrothermal system. The presence of volcanoes and ground ice on Mars suggests that hydrothermal systems should have formed. Mars is rich in iron and sulfur, key ingredients in the formation of sulfide minerals. Basaltic volcanism appears to have been widespread on Mars. On Earth, sulfide minerals are made in
