A vast river valley, once akin to the existing river plains on Earth and potentially teeming with fossils of extraterrestrial life, has been identified by the Mars Express spacecraft.
Mars Express, a Martian explorer from the European Space Agency (ESA), has sent high-resolution images of the Holden Basin back to Earth, where billions of years ago, herds of extraterrestrial beings may have resided along the banks or beneath the winding rivers.
Close-up of the ancient river on Mars with the Holden Basin in the middle. It is now dry but may still hide “treasures” within its sediments – (Image: ESA)
According to Sci-News, The Holden Basin is part of an 8,000 km long river system with numerous valleys and depressions that once facilitated the flow of water from the southern Argyre Planitia region of Mars to the lower northern Chryse Planitia area.
The complex history of this intricate river system makes it an intriguing target for the search for traces of ancient extraterrestrial life, as stated by the Mars Express operations team.
Billions of years ago, the impact that created the massive Holden crater also formed this flowing system, known as Uzboi-Ladon-Morava, which meanders across a portion of Mars’ surface, gradually forming a complex terrain including the Uzboi Valley and the Holden Basin.
Water from this system eventually drained northward through the Morava Valles. The famous Martian river Ares Vallis, where the first mobile robot Sojourner landed 25 years ago, may also be part of this flowing system.
A portion of the Holden Basin terrain – (Image: ESA)
Now, based on detailed images that clearly display the terrain and additional geological data, scientists have identified the Holden Basin area, which is covered with phyllosilicate-rich sediments, as one of the most promising regions for study across the entire river system.
Phyllosilicate is a common mineral on Earth, often found in clay. It acts as a reaction center for organic molecules, serving as a factory for the creation of life on Earth.
ESA scientists plan to deploy more instruments targeting this area in the future, hoping to uncover tangible evidence of life that once existed on Mars billions of years ago.
