Traces of ancient beaches by an ancient ocean in the distant past of Mars. The discovery, by a team of researchers from the University of California – Berkley, comes thanks to the radar data provided by the Chinese rover Zhurongoperational on Mars Between 2021 and 2022, in the Martian area called Utopia Planitiain whose subsoil have been identified sediments which by disposal and inclination appear completely similar to those that can be found off beaches of our planet. This discovery strengthens the hypothesis – already widely supported by the analyzes of the orbiting probes and oaks previously landed on Mars, such as Spirit, Opportunities, Curiosity and Perseverance – that once the red planet housed a vast ocean, lakes and rivers. This helps us to reconstruct the Geological history of Marsbut also to look at the best possible indications of any life forms that lived in the planet.
What the Zhurong Rover on Mars discovered: the ancient beaches
The Zhurong Rover has explored Utopia Planitiaa huge plain in the northern Martian hemisphere. Here, thanks to the instrument called Ground Penetrating Radar (“Soil penetration radar”), sent radio waves to the ground to analyze underground structures up to a depth of 80 meters. The data collected revealed the presence of deposits Between 10 and 35 meters thicknesscomposed of material with characteristics similar to sand (therefore of origin neither volcanic nor impact with asteroids) but without clues to the presence of ancient dunes, as still today are on the red planet. These layers are inclined uniformly, as happens at low depths near the terrestrial coasts. Scientists have traced these formations for about 1.2 km along the route of the Rover, strengthening the hypothesis that the area may have hosted a marine environment in the past.
Second Michael Mangaco -author of the study, the structures identified by the Zhurong radar tool:
They do not resemble sand dunes, craters or lava flows, but have a arrangement and inclination compatible with sediments deposited by the water over time.
Because the discovery is important for the search for traces of life spent on Mars
Manga explained that coastal environments, where water, land and atmosphere combine, they are potentially ideal for life. Understanding where and when these environments existed can help us decide where to direct our explorations and how to interpret the observations from satellites and other sources. He also added that the coasts are excellent places to look for signs of past life. In fact, it is believed that life on earth has begun in similar environments, where interaction between shallow waters and atmosphere He created the favorable conditions for the development of the first forms of life.
To confirm the manga thesis is also You have liuthe first author of the study, which underlined the importance of Utopia Planitia as a crucial area to study the presence of ancient Martian oceans. Previous research had hypothesized that water on Mars had been lost in the atmosphere or had been trapped under the surface. The data obtained from the Zhurong Rover could confirm these theories, expanding our understanding of the planet’s past.
Traces of ancient beaches on Mars: that of Zhurong is only the last of a series of discoveries
This new discovery is combined with other important finds that suggest the presence of aquatic environments on Mars in ancient times. The rover curiosity, for example, found signs of sedimentary waving in the Gale craterwhich indicate that liquid water was present in that area without being covered by ice. Furthermore, Perseverance confirmed the existence of a river delta in the crater Jezeroanother sign of past aquatic activity. However, these research focuses on ancient Martian lakes, while the data collected by the Chinese rover Zhurong seem to suggest something even bigger: the possibility that a real ocean existed on Mars.
The sediments discovered by the Zhurong Rover have been stored below 10 meters of material accumulated over the course of billions of years. This material was deposited by events such as Powder storms, impacts of meteorites and volcanic activitieswho protected the original sediments. Thanks to this protection, the sediments have remained intact and today they offer us a rare opportunity to explore the Hydrological past of Mars. The Martian coast could represent one of the main objectives of future exploratory missions. If Mars had hosted microbial life, the beaches of Utopia Planitia They could be one of the most promising places to find fossil traces of that primitive life, making this area an absolute priority for future studies on the red planet.
