Researchers have found indications that liquid water previously interacted with the atmosphere in old, small lakes on Mars.
Mars
The discovery indicates that not all of Mars’ water was locked under ice, contrary to what some Martian climate models propose.
Planetary geologists along with astronomers investigating Mars have been aware for many years that water probably existed on the planet, following NASA’s findings.
Mariner 9
The mission obtained images of arid ravines during the 1970s. However, a continuous discussion persists regarding the shape this water assumed and the duration of its presence.
Some models
forecast that any liquid water present on Mars’ surface would have been concealed beneath layers of ice prior to vanishing.
However, the new discoveries, published January 15th in the journal
Science Advances
Share another narrative. The formations captured by NASA’s Curiosity rover are referred to as wave ripples — small ridgelike features that develop along lakeshores. This indicates that liquid water was once present on Mars’ surface sometime during its past. These ripple patterns appeared in two distinct ancient lakebeds within Gale Crater, an area that Curiosity has been investigating since August 2012.
“As evidenced by the form of the ripples, they could only have developed in water exposed to the atmosphere and influenced by wind,” stated the study’s lead author.
Claire Mondro
, a sedimentologist from CalTech, stated in an interview
statement
.
Related:
32 Martian Objects That Appear Out of Place
Hope for life?
The scientists examined the height and separation between the ripples to ascertain the scale of the ancient Martian lake. These features stand roughly at 0.2 inches (6 millimeters) high with distances ranging from 1.6 to 2 inches (4 to 5 centimeters), suggesting they resulted from tiny wave movements. From this data, they concluded that the lake could not have exceeded depths of more than 2 meters (6.5 feet).
The two dried-up lake beds seem to have originated approximately 3.7 billion years ago, suggesting that Mars once possessed an atmosphere thick and temperate enough to sustain liquid water for a period exceeding earlier estimates—potentially opening up new avenues of exploration. As Mondro pointed out, “By extending the duration during which liquid water existed, we broaden the timeframe within which microorganisms might have thrived on Mars.” To put it simply: this extended presence of liquid water provides a more generous timeline for potential life forms to develop on the Red Planet.
A significant portion of Mars’ atmosphere and surface water was gradually lost over eons. Experts think this happened due to the planet’s characteristics.
lost its magnetic field
, making it susceptible to solar radiation. When the intense solar wind hit Mars’ atmosphere, much of the planet’s carbon dioxide and water vapor escaped into space, resulting in the cold desert environment we see now.
