The principal candidates for the origin of Mars' methane include non-biological processes such as water-rock reactions, radiolysis of water, and pyrite formation, all of which produce H2 that could then generate methane and other hydrocarbons via Fischer–Tropsch synthesis with CO and CO2.
The main contenders for Mars' methane origin involve non-biological mechanisms such as water-rock interactions, water radiolysis, and pyrite formation. These processes generate H2 that can then produce methane and other hydrocarbons through Fischer–Tropsch synthesis with CO and CO2.