Red-Earth Terrain In India’s Muttom Village Geologically Similar To Mars

AsianScientist (Jul. 23, 2012) – There may be a Mars-like area in India, and it is located in a village in Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari district, called Muttom.

This was revealed by a student of ISRO’s Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Tushar Wankhede, during the international space meet, Cospar 2012.

With the help of a power point presentation, he told the gathering of space scientists that “The Dunes of Muttom, its mud cracks and gullies are like those of Mars and even there is a similarity in the minerals.”

He said that when he and his team heard about the area through the Geological Survey of India a year ago, they visited it and started doing research about the place as a part of their semester project. “We have submitted our report to our institute and now awaiting a response,” he said.

Those who have visited Muttom would have observed its unique hilly red-earth terrain, also known as ‘Sivanthamaan’ which means red soil in Tamil. The sand gets its red color due to the flow of heavy rain water through the ravines and the texture of the soil.

Asked about the significance of their find, Wankhede said Muttom could be used as a location for performing Martian research on earth.

“By doing further test of the site we can know about the geological conditions of Mars and how it evolved,” he told the large gathering of space scientists.

It may be recalled that recently there was a report suggesting that an area at Kutch in Gujarat bore resemblance to Mars.

The Mars in India announcements are coming at a time when India is planning a mission to Mars.

Last week, ISRO chairman, K. Radhakrishnan told the media that the mission was now in its final stage of approval.

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Copyright: Asian Scientist Magazine; Photo: Travel.Sulekha.com
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