Mars' dust storms may produce peroxide snow

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An artists concept of a Martian dust storm showing how electrical charge builds up as in terrestrial thunderstorms. Though on Earth lightning is common there is no evidence that lightning accompanies storms on Mars. (NASA)
An artist's concept of a Martian dust storm, showing how electrical charge builds up as in terrestrial thunderstorms. Though on Earth, lightning is common, there is no evidence that lightning accompanies storms on Mars. (NASA)

The planet-wide dust storms that periodically cloak Mars in a mantle of red may be generating a snow of corrosive chemicals, including hydrogen peroxide, that would be toxic to life, according to two new studies published in the most recent issue of the journal Astrobiology.


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