NASA scientists discovered that water on Mars came later than thought

Caltech researchers used the Mars Retrieval Probe to determine thisAnd How many years ago was water flowing on Mars? Billions of years ago, there were many rivers and ponds on the surface of Mars that created a potential environment for the presence of microorganisms on the planet, but over time, the water on the planet evaporated. This was stated in a study conducted by the US space agency NASA.

Previously, it was believed that water on Mars evaporated 3 billion years ago. However, two scientists studying data collected by the orbiter over the past 15 years have found evidence of later water on Mars. A study by scientists found signs of liquid water on Mars after a billion years: water flowed on the planet 2-2.5 billion years ago.

The study’s lead author, Elaine Liske, did most of the research as part of her doctoral work at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. She, along with Institute professor Bethany Elman, used data from an orbiter called the Compacted Imaging Spectroradiometer of Mars (CRISM) to map chloride salt deposits in mud-rich regions of Mars’ southern hemisphere. This area is rich in archaeological digs, and one of the keys to the history of the salt was: the fewer pits in the area, the smaller it was.

Using both cameras to create digital elevation maps, Liske and Elman found that many salts are found in depressions—there were once shallow pools—in gently sloping volcanic plains. The scientists also found nearby meandering dry channels – former currents that fed runoff in these ponds. Counting the craters and confirming the presence of salts on top of the volcanic terrain allowed the sediments to be dated.

“Surprisingly, after more than a decade of providing high-resolution images, stereo data, and infrared data, the probe has made new discoveries about the nature and timing of ancient salt pools associated with the river,” the report said.

Earlier on Mars, scientists found a giant “torso” with a diameter of 8 kilometers. It is an unusual circle filled with water ice that will help scientists understand the climate of the Red Planet and the history of water.

to focus He wrote that scientists have discovered unusual patterns on the surface of Mars. Most likely, these are the remains of stone boulders after the “earthquakes”. It is not yet known whether this is happening on Mars now, or whether it was in the past.