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[00:00.17] for example, when the Curiosity rover drives over the area.

[00:07.87] Pavlov said this theory could help explain why methane levels have only been discovered in the Gale Crater area.

[00:16.90] It is the only place on Mars where NASA’s Curiosity rover is currently active.

[00:24.61] NASA has another rover working on Mars, Perseverance.

[00:30.19] But it has been exploring the Jezero Crater area on another part of the planet.

[00:36.82] Jezero Crater is also believed to have contained large water bodies in the distant past.

[00:45.59] But Perseverance is not equipped with a methane-detecting instrument.

[00:51.70] Pavlov noted that the latest theory came from his memories of an unrelated experiment carried out in 2017.

[01:02.32] The experiment involved growing microorganisms in a simulated Martian environment that included frozen soil that contained salt.

[01:14.81] During that experiment, researchers observed that the collection of soil on top formed an icy, salty crust.

[01:25.17] Changes in conditions caused the ice to melt, turning the solid material into a gas and leaving the salt behind.

[01:35.53] Pavlov’s team tested five samples of frozen soil containing different kinds of salt material commonly found on Mars.

[01:46.69] A new set of Earth-based experiments was carried out in which the frozen material was exposed to different temperatures and air pressures inside an environment at Goddard that was designed to be like Mars.

[02:04.48] The team was able to repeatedly copy the salt sealing process in Mars-like conditions during laboratory testing.

[02:14.31] The researchers said they plan to keep carrying out experiments under different conditions and using salt minerals to confirm their theory.

[02:25.47] But the researchers noted that to carry out more detailed methane investigations, they will likely need a whole new generation of sensitive instruments.

[02:38.48] These would be designed to measure methane continuously from many places on Mars.