Surface Of Mars

Mars’ surface is made up of rusted iron oxide, giving the planet its signature red color. While both Earth and Mars contain a lot of iron, the iron on Earth sunk below the surface shortly after its formation, whereas the iron on Mars stayed closer to the surface. Both planets do contain an iron core. However, scientists believe that the gravity on Mars was not high enough to pull all the iron towards the core. Even though iron is a very dense element, Mars is so much smaller than the Earth, which is why it has such a low gravity in comparison. How could the iron have oxidized? Well, scientists have a couple of theories. Firstly, there is evidence that Mars was once home to liquid water, which could have aided in the oxidization. This would not explain how the surface of Mars appears to be completely rusted. In 2009, researchers showed that oxidization could happen due to crumbling quartz. The dust storms on Mars can be extremely destructive and can demolish the quartz, leaving oxygen-rich surfaces exposed. Sunlight can also play the role of oxidizer on Mars by breaking carbon dioxide into hydrogen peroxide and ozone.