Sedimentary mineral deposits analysed by the Chinese Zhurong Mars rover appear to have been left by an ancient sea 3.5 billion years ago.
The rover landed on Mars in May 2021 and has been analysing deposits in the Vastitas Borealis, a low-lying plain in the northern hemisphere.
Researchers used elevation data and geochemical analysis to estimate surface ages and found features consistent with a nearshore zone and flooding about 3.68 billion years ago.
Future missions may be able to confirm the existence of the ancient Martian ocean.