A naukri.com initiative
Universe Today
1M
365
Image Credit: Universe Today
Rover Finds the Shoreline of an Ancient Beach on Mars
- Data from the Chinese rover Zhurong provides evidence for ancient oceans on Mars through radar scans of buried structures resembling ocean shorelines.
- Zhurong's ground-penetrating radar found thick layers of material similar to beach deposits, suggesting past wave action along the shore of an ocean on Mars.
- Scientists are studying the Utopia Planitia region where Zhurong landed to investigate Mars's ancient warm, wet past and potential existence of long-gone seas.
- Findings indicate ice-free oceans on Mars, implying a warmer climate in the past, with potential habitable environments and river flows.
- The presence of shoreline structures on Mars suggests a hydrologically active period allowing for the accumulation of sediments and potential nutrients.
- Past missions like Viking also hinted at the presence of water bodies on Mars, with shorelines showing evidence of Martian oceans.
- Changes in Mars's rotation due to volcanic activity in the Tharsis region are believed to have altered the shape of ancient shorelines on the planet.
- The buried shorelines tell a story of the last days of oceans on Mars, lasting tens of millions of years before drying up and being covered by regolith.
- The Zhurong data provides a unique dataset of pristine shoreline deposits under the Martian subsurface, offering insights into Mars's past climate.
- These findings deepen our understanding of Mars's geological history and potential for past habitability, revealing intriguing evidence of ancient shorelines.
Read Full Article
21 Likes
For uninterrupted reading, download the app