An ancient river has been found beneath the surface of Mars
NASA's Mars rover Perseverance has discovered an ancient river system beneath the surface of Mars. The discovery was made in the crater Jezero and shows that water existed on the planet earlier than thought. This increases the chances of finding traces of ancient life.
The unusual discovery was made with the help of radar installed on the rover. It allowed to "look" at a depth of more than 35 metres under the surface.
Scientists found structures characteristic of a river delta - places where a river flows into a lake or sea and deposits sediments.
Such areas are considered among the best places to look for signs of life because they can preserve organic matter.
Details
The analysis showed that this delta formed about 3.7 to 4.2 billion years ago. This means that water could have existed on Mars much earlier than thought.
Importantly, it also revealed a more ancient system beneath the surface than what is already visible on the surface of Jezero Crater.
This indicates that the water environment in this region existed longer and was more complex.
Why it's important
The discovery is important for science and future missions:
- increases the chances of finding traces of ancient life
- helps you more accurately select sites for drilling and analysis
- provides new insights into the climate of early Mars
If water did exist for longer than thought, it means conditions for life may have persisted for longer periods of time.
Background
Jezero Crater is one of the Perseverance rover's main objects of study on Mars. It was chosen precisely because signs of an ancient body of water have been found here before.
Source
The new study is published in the journal Science Advances and is based on data from the RIMFAX radar, which allows you to study the structure of rocks under the surface of Mars.