Clues about the coastline that existed on Mars 3.5 billion years ago are revealed through sedimentary rock layers and newly discovered stratification.
According to SCMP, the Zhurong rover from the China National Space Administration (CNSA) may have found evidence of a coastline during its mission on the Red Planet.
The Zhurong rover operating on the surface of Mars (Photo: SCMP).
To reach this conclusion, scientists from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the China Academy of Space Technology, and the Russian Academy of Sciences relied on data collected during the rover’s Tianwen-1 mission.
Zhurong discovered rock samples in the southern region of Utopia Planitia (a location on Mars), indicating that this area is divided into three parts with varying depths.
There, the system clearly delineates geographical structures resembling shallow seas, which then gradually extend into lower regions. This supports the hypothesis that this area was once covered by a vast ocean, originating from a coastline that stretched across the surface of Mars.
“This coastline is likely the remnants of an ancient ocean that existed around 3.5 billion years ago,” the research team shared in the journal Scientific Reports.
“The discovery of sedimentary rocks and stratification is clear evidence of past liquid water activity on Mars.”
Professor Wu Bo, Director of the Planetary Remote Sensing Laboratory at PolyU, stated that this is the first time scientists have successfully proposed a scenario explaining how oceans were formed on the Red Planet.
He also emphasized that this is an important study that adds to humanity’s understanding of how water formed on Mars over decades.
