Not ice: NASA's rover finds evidence of open water bodies on Mars

NASA's Curiosity Rover, which has been exploring the Red Planet since 2012, has found evidence of ancient ponds and lakes. The robotic researcher discovered small waves on Mars similar to those observed in sand lakes on Earth.

Scientists suggest that these waves, which were formed about 3.7 billion years ago, could have been created by the wind moving back and forth across the surface. The main conclusion of the study is that the water was open, not covered with ice, ScienceAlert writes.

According to NASA, the main goal of Curiosity is to study the climate and geology of Mars and assess whether there could have been life on this planet in the past.

Therefore, it is a great discovery that researchers have seen ancient wave ripples in the rover's images, which are probably dried up water bodies with ripples preserved in the rock.

Ripples are marks from waves that can often be seen on beaches and at the bottom of lakes on Earth when wind-driven water flows through shallow water, scientists explain. The team responsible for the rover believes that the ripples found by Curiosity in Gale Crater are the most convincing evidence that liquid water bodies existed in the history of the Red Planet. Analysis of the stones and ripples shows that they were formed 3.7 billion years ago, experts say.

Thanks to the latest findings, scientists now believe that Mars' atmosphere and climate were much warmer and denser than today to support liquid water in the open air.

The team was able to create computer models from the ripples to determine the size of the lake. It is known that the height of the ripples is 6 mm, and the distance is 4 to 5 cm. According to experts, the lake was shallow, less than 2 meters deep.

One of the sets of ripples, known as the Prow outcrop, was found in an area that was once windswept dunes. The other set was seen nearby in the sulfate-rich Amapari Marker Band, scientists say.

According to the researchers, the two regions come from different times, suggesting that the warm, dense atmosphere occurred several times, or at least over a long period of time.

This discovery has provided new insight into Mars' past, possibly with bodies of water scattered across the landscape, experts say. However, further research is needed to see how common ripples are on the Red Planet.

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