The remnants of glaciers on Mars indicate that some forms of water may still exist on this planet.
Salt deposits, displayed in light blue, in areas that may have once harbored glaciers near the Martian equator. (Photo: NASA MRO HiRISE/CRISM False Color Composite).
Scientists have discovered notable remnants among mineral deposits near the equatorial region of the planet. These deposits often contain bright sulfate salts.
Upon closer examination, scientists recognized features characteristic of glaciers, including striations known as glacial deposits – bits of material that are deposited or displaced due to glacial movement. The research team also identified cracks, or deep wedge-shaped openings – phenomena that typically form within glaciers.
This discovery was announced on March 15 at the 54th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in The Woodlands, Texas, according to CNN.
Dr. Pascal Lee, a senior planetary scientist at the SETI Institute and Mars Institute, stated: “What we found is not ice, but a salt deposit with detailed glacial morphological features.”
Researchers believe the glacier measures about 6 kilometers long and 4 kilometers wide, with an elevation ranging from 1.3 to 1.7 kilometers. This glacier is thought to have existed during the Amazonian epoch, a geological period on Mars that began around 2.9 billion years ago and continues to this day.
The researchers are uncertain whether any ice remains beneath the layer of deposits, and they plan to investigate this further, as well as whether there are other ice regions nearby.
