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The Chinese rover Zhurong found convincing evidence of the existence of the Marcy the coastline of the ancient ocean. This new data supports the theory that Mars was once a world with water.
In 2021, the Chinese rover Zhurong landed on the territory of Utopia Planitia (Plain of Utopia), which is the largest impact basin known on Mars. Scientists assume that this is where the water once was. The rover was shut down in May 2022 due to harsh conditions, but the data it collected still has scientific value and is being studied.
Zhurong's data revealed some intriguing features of this region. Among them are cones with pits, probably the remains of mud volcanoes, which often form in places with water or ice. Depressions and etched streams also indicate the presence of liquid water.
The team used remote sensing data to identify water-related features, including sedimentary deposits and subsurface layers. This research suggests that 3,5 billion years ago on the surface Mars there was an ancient ocean, thanks to which these deposits appeared. Then the surface of the ocean probably froze, and over the next 230 million years it gradually shrank and eventually disappeared.
Utopia Planitia, located in the northern hemisphere of Mars, is believed to have been part of an ancient ocean, and researchers have found that the region is divided into three zones of varying depth, including a coastal zone, a shallow water zone, and a deep water zone. This discovery only confirmed the theory of an ancient reservoir that once covered the part Mars.
In addition, the discovery of sedimentary rocks and layered rock formations provides additional evidence of past water processes. "Site observations, including sedimentary rocks, water-related layering features, and subsurface sedimentary layers, also indicate the presence of water in the past," the scientists say.
According to the data, over billions of years the region underwent a transition from a landscape with water to a more arid one. On the basis of data from rovers and satellite images, the researchers estimated that the Plain was flooded about 3,68 billion years ago. After the first flooding, shallow and deep water areas were formed. But over a long period, underground volatile substances (gases and liquids) gradually dispersed, which led to the final drying of water and the formation of modern geological features.
"The surface of the ocean probably froze over a geologically short period of time, the water froze, and the material was deposited under the action of sedimentary deposits from the reservoir, forming a dry shallow massif about 3,5 billion years ago, and later, 3,42 billion years ago, a dry deep-sea massif", - say the researchers.
The team plans to study the formation of these features and estimate the depths of the former ocean, comparing shallow and deep water zones, to confirm their model. The research could provide new details about the early history of Mars and the influence of water on its climate and atmosphere.
