Before being hit by a dust storm and losing contact, China’s Zhurong rover made a groundbreaking discovery about what happened on Mars 400,000 years ago.
There has long been scattered evidence suggesting that the theory of a once Earth-like Mars, which became desolate and silent around 3 billion years ago, may not be accurate.
By exploring the data left behind by Zhurong (Zhu Rong) before it went missing, Chinese scientists made an unexpected discovery.
The unique terrain of Utopia Planitia attracts attention from both the U.S. and China – (Photo: NASA)
According to Space, unusual signs have emerged from crescent-shaped sand dunes located on the undulating sands of an area known as Utopia Planitia.
By combining data from the Zhurong lander and the Tianwen-1 orbiter, scientist Li Chunlai from the National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) discovered structures known as TAR – resembling mountain ranges – formed above these massive dunes, which are distinctly darker than the dunes themselves.
Analyses also revealed that winds causing erosion helped to “sculpt” the TAR in a direction opposite to that of the lighter material found below.
Analyses indicate a comprehensive climate change – possibly marking the end of an ice age – that sculpted complex and strange shapes on this planet that is not truly “dead” – (Photo: CAS).
The massive sand dunes formed approximately 400,000 to 2.1 million years ago, meaning the “dark TAR” is only 400,000 years old.
This serves as clear evidence that Mars’ climate, with its complex weather patterns, underwent significant and comprehensive changes around 400,000 years ago.
The predominant theory is the emergence and disappearance of an unusual ice age, distinct from Earth, where Mars’ poles were warmer while dust and water vapor migrated towards the mid-latitudes and settled there.
Understanding the ancient climate on Mars is something that global scientific teams are “caring for” as they explore this planet, as it could help them reconstruct how Mars evolved, understand what happened there, how life emerged and disappeared, or where it might still be hiding…
Unfortunately, after this discovery, Zhurong lost contact with Earth. In images captured by NASA’s orbiter, it appears to have been buried in the extreme dust storms of the Red Planet, causing its solar panels to become covered and the rover to run out of energy.
The Zhurong rover is a wheeled lander, quite similar to NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance rovers that are also operational on Mars. However, the two NASA rovers are powered by nuclear energy, allowing them to survive dust storms.
