Nasa’s Curiosity rover finds surprising proof of Mars’ hidden water historical past

Nasa’s Mars Rover Curiosity has made an surprising discovery in regards to the Red Planet’s previous. The findings throughout the exploring of a area often known as the ‘Marker Band’ revealed proof of historic water ripples that shaped inside lakes. ALSO READ: Nasa’s Hubble telescope captures the beginning of a brand new ‘spoke’ season of Saturn

The Curiosity Rover has been ascending the foothills of Mount Sharp, a 5-kilometre-tall mountain thought to have lakes and streams that will have made out there a wealthy atmosphere for microbial life.

“This is the best evidence of water and waves that we’ve seen in the entire mission,” mentioned Ashwin Vasavada, Curiosity’s challenge scientist, including that the proof has been present in a area they thought can be dry.

What are the newly found clues of water on Mars?

1. In the Marker Band, a slim band of darkish rock that stands out from the remainder of Mount Sharp, Curiosity found rippling rock textures. Scientists consider they shaped billions of years in the past when materials on the lake’s backside was stirred up by waves on the lake’s floor, leading to rippling textures within the rock. ALSO READ: How NASA helps in rescue operations in earthquake-hit Turkey and Syria

Curiosity has been unable to drill a pattern from this layer of rock regardless of quite a few makes an attempt on account of its excessive hardness.

2. Another clue found by the Curiosity rover is a channel in Gediz Vallis valley, which is assumed to have been eroded by a small river. Scientists consider moist landslides occurred right here as effectively, sending car-sized boulders and particles to the valley flooring.

3. An odd rock texture that was most likely attributable to some type of cyclical sample within the climate or local weather has additionally piqued the staff’s curiosity. This sort of rhythmic sample in Earth’s rock layers is regularly attributable to periodic atmospheric occasions, which can point out that Mars’ local weather has modified over time.

The Curiosity mission’s findings display that Mars was once a lot wetter than beforehand believed, and future investigation is more likely to yield way more fascinating findings in regards to the planet’s previous.