Mars may have had a large amount of water flowing as recently as 2 billion to 2.5 billion years ago, according to new data from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).
Reseachers published the study, "Evidence for Deposition of Chloride on Mars From Small-Volume Surface Water Events Into the Late Hesperian-Early Amazonian," in AGU findings last month.
They came up with the results by looking at chloride salt deposits left behind after ice water evaporated. The salt deposits are also the earliest mineral proof that liquid water existed on Mars.
Water flowed on Mars longer than previously thought... by a billion years! 😮 The findings come from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter data that indicates Martian surface water left behind salt minerals as recently as 2 billion years ago. https://t.co/7heAUxxmsT pic.twitter.com/Ho6HefSV88
— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) January 26, 2022
NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Said Water on Red Planet Could Have Flowed for a Billion Years
The researchers used data from the MRO spacecraft's Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) instrument, SciTechDaily mentioned. They also used the spacecraft's Context Camera and HiRISE color camera to study the distribution of chloride salts over Mars' southern hemisphere.
According to the researchers, the salts were discovered in depressions that originally housed small ponds.
Study co-author Bethany L. Ehlmann stated in a statement that MRO has led to new findings regarding the nature and timing of these river-connected ancient salt ponds after more than a decade of supplying high-resolution image, stereo, and infrared data.
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter used its Context Camera to capture this image of Bosporos Planum, a location on Mars. The white specks are salt deposits found within a dry channel.
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Salt deposits are downslope from higher altitudes, according to Ehlmann. It's clear evidence of snow melting on slopes and hills (much like it occurs on Earth) and then pouring down.
These sediments must have originated from snow and ice, according to Ehlmann. The salty mineral deposits were discovered in shallow ponds as well as the twisting waterways that formerly fed these ponds, according to the researchers.
This indicates that any Martian life, if it ever existed, would have had a lot more time to reside on Mars' surface and evolve.
Salt on Red Planet Found More Than A Decade Ago
Mashable said these salts were identified over 15 years ago by a previous Mars probe. On the other hand, old discoveries have led to fresh and fascinating discoveries concerning water on Mars.
According to planetary scientists, Mars was likely once a globe with blue, expansive oceans similar to Earth. It's still unclear if any life could have thrived in Mars' wet regions. The Perseverance rover is currently scouring the planet's Jezero Crater for clues of previous life, which NASA claims was "once inundated with water and was home to an ancient river delta."
The Jezero Crater, on the other hand, is thought to have contained water 3.5 billion years ago. According to the latest findings, water existed on Mars far later than 2 billion years ago, maybe much later. Keep an eye out. On the water path are Ehlmann and her coworkers. Small quantities of liquid water may have existed on Mars much more recently than scientists believe, according to Ehlmann.
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