NASA's Mars Rover Discovers Incredible Evidence of an Ancient River

Monday - May 15 2023, 12:33 UTC - 1 year ago

NASA's Perseverance rover has discovered incredible evidence of an ancient river that once ran through Jezero Crater on Mars. The sedimentary rock pile stands approximately 820 feet (250 meters) tall and was formed by a powerful river system. Curving layers and coarse sediment grains and cobbles suggest a deep and fast-moving river. Scientists believe that this evidence could lead to the discovery of ancient microbial life.

NASA's Perseverance rover has discovered fresh and exciting evidence of Mars' watery past.

The breathtaking new images show a band of large sedimentary rocks that scientists believe was formed by a powerful river system that once flowed on Mars' surface. According to NASA, this one-of-a-kind evidence could lead to the discovery of ancient microbial life that may have been preserved in these rocks.

The curving bands of layered rock platforms within Jezero Crater have been dubbed "the curvilinear unit." This sedimentary rock pile stands approximately 820 feet (250 meters) tall. The mosaics primarily highlight one section of the giant pile known as "Skrinkle Haven," which could be the remnants of an ancient river’s banks.

Curving layers may indicate flowing water, and such features can be found on Earth, but they are mostly hidden by vegetation. In this case, it suggests a deeper and fast-moving river that once flowed through this surface. The clues of coarse sediment grains and cobbles point to it as well. "Those indicate a high-energy river that’s truckin’ and carrying a lot of debris. The more powerful the flow of water, the more easily it’s able to move larger pieces of material," said Libby Ives, a postdoctoral researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which operates the Perseverance rover, in an official release.

According to NASA, it was most likely part of a network of waterways that led into Jezero Crater. This crater has been this Mars resident's primary exploratory destination.

The scientists pieced together hundreds of images captured by the Mastcam-Z instrument onboard Perseverance to create this image. The mosaic also indicates that the layers were most likely much taller in the past than what is seen today. The rock piles were carved down to the size seen in the images after being sandblasted by the wind.

"The wind has acted like a scalpel that has cut the tops off these deposits. We do see deposits like this on Earth, but they’re never as well exposed as they are here on Mars. Earth is covered in vegetation that hides these layers," said Michael Lamb of Caltech, a river specialist and Perseverance science team collaborator, in the press release.

Going forward, the team will peer beneath this area with a penetrating radar instrument called RIMFAX (short for Radar Imager for Mars' Subsurface Experiment) to find more clues on the ancient river.