Evidence of ancient Martian ocean challenges arid past
Chinese scientists have proposed the hypothesis that a vast ocean might have once existed on the surface of Mars. This further proves that the Red Planet has not always been a barren desert. According to scientists, the ocean could have existed around 3.68 billion years ago.
In 2021, China successfully sent the rover Zhurong to Mars, designed for detailed exploration of the planet's surface. Foreign media report that Zhurong found evidence of an ancient coastline in the Utopia Planitia region.
This discovery suggests that billions of years ago, a vast ocean might have stretched across the northern lowlands of Mars. The rover's data, supported by satellite imagery, reveal geological formations resembling sedimentary channels and riverbeds, typical structures for coastal areas on Earth.
According to scientists, this ocean could have existed around 3.68 billion years ago before gradually freezing and disappearing about 260 million years later. They estimate that even the shallow areas of this oceanic body could have been up to 610 metres deep, indicating its immense size.
Life on Mars. Further research is necessary
Confirming the existence of such an extensive ocean on Mars provides strong reasons to assume that this planet once had suitable conditions for simple life forms, such as microorganisms. This also indicates a more dynamic history of Mars than previously thought.
This discovery has sparked great interest among scientists, but it also emphasizes the need for continued research. Future missions to Mars could help in a more detailed examination of the geological remnants of the ancient ocean, which in turn would allow for a more precise determination of the water's chemical composition and the environmental conditions that prevailed on Mars billions of years ago.
Further studies may confirm these theories and reveal how long water could have persisted on the surface and what chances for development any potential life forms had there.
