The Chinese Zhurong rover that landed on Mars 2021 in the Utopia Planitia region has revealed surprising evidence of an ancient coastline, reinforcing the theory that the red planet was once covered in water, although the rover ceased activities in May 2022 Due to adverse conditions, the data collected continues to offer valuable clues about Mars' aquatic past.
Utopia Planitia a vast region located in the northern hemisphere of Mars is a place with a complex geological history and possibly associated with a short-lived ocean, the Zhurong Rover identified intriguing features in the landing area such as cones of holes that are likely gestures of mud structures formed in environments rich in water or ice.
Furthermore, the polygonal channels and recorded flows indicate that the region was shaped by the presence of liquid water in the past, an international team of researchers including scientists from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Chinese Academy of Space Technology and the Russian Academy of Sciences analyzed this data using remote sensing and on-site observations.
They discovered sedimentary deposits and underground layers that suggest that an ancient ocean could have deposited rocks on the surface of Mars about 3.5 billion years ago. According to the study, the surface of this ocean probably froze over time and after about 230 million years it receded. until it disappears completely.
The Utopia Planitia region is divided into three zones with variable depths, including a coastal area, a shallow sea area and a deep sea region, these findings reinforce the idea that an ancient ocean covered the vast northern lowlands of Mars. , creating a favorable environment for the development of aquatic processes.
The team now plans to further study the formation of these features and estimate ocean depths by comparing shallow and deep areas to validate the proposed model, this study together with observations from NASA's Viking Two mission that explored the Utopia Planitia region in 1976 provides a solid foundation for understanding the history of water on Mars.
Evidence points to an aquatic past that may have played a crucial role on Mars, and these discoveries offer new insights into the evolution of the planet and its past habitability conditions.
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