New data shows that the Curiosity rover discovered the remains of an ancient lake filled with liquid water billions of years ago.
NASA’s Curiosity rover has been exploring Mars since August 2012 and recently found evidence of a lake of liquid water on the Red Planet’s surface in the distant past. The rover found small bumps similar to those in the bottom of lakes on Earth.
These bumps may have been created by water moving in the wind. This discovery suggests that the water on the surface of Mars was not frozen 3.7 billion years ago. The study was published in the journal Science Advances, ScienceAlert writes.
Mars is the fourth planet from the sun and is known for its bright red color, which is caused by the presence of iron oxide in the rocks on the planet’s surface.
Mars is a rocky terrestrial planet and is similar to Earth in that it has volcanoes, plains, mountains and dry riverbeds similar to Earth. But that’s where Mars’ similarities to our planet end. Mars’ polar caps are made of frozen carbon dioxide, the planet has an unbreathable atmosphere, very cold temperatures and a desert surface.
Scientists believe that microbial life could have existed on Mars in the distant past, but signs of it have not yet been found. The Curiosity rover, which has been studying the surface of Mars and its atmosphere in Gale Crater for almost thirteen years, is also looking for it.
The Curiosity rover’s main task is to study the climate and geology of Mars and how they have changed over time. The spacecraft must also assess whether conditions that supported microbial life may have existed on Mars in the distant past. To achieve its goals, the rover has special instruments and cameras that allow it to study local rocks and the atmosphere.
Now scientists have reported that Curiosity has made a very important discovery on Mars. It has found what appear to be ancient ripples on the surface of Mars, formed where a lake of liquid water once stood billions of years ago.
The ripples are small bumps commonly seen on beaches and lake beds on Earth as wind-driven water flows through shallow water. The discovery means that water on Mars was not frozen 3.7 billion years ago, scientists say.
The ripples found in Gale Crater are the strongest evidence yet that the Red Planet has had bodies of liquid water in its history. Scientists say Mars was much warmer then and had a thicker atmosphere, meaning liquid water could have existed in the open and not been covered in ice.
The authors of the study created computer models to determine the size of the ancient lake based on the data obtained. It is believed that the lake was small and shallow, up to 2 meters deep.
