NASA's Curiosity Rover Reveals Mars Once Had Liquid Water

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NASA’s Curiosity rover has provided compelling evidence of ancient liquid water on Mars, revealing ripple patterns in Gale Crater that suggest the presence of shallow lakes billions of years ago. According to a study published in Science Advances, these wave-like structures indicate that water, open to the atmosphere and influenced by wind, flowed across the Martian surface.

Planetary geologists have long debated the nature and duration of water on Mars, with past models suggesting it was primarily covered by ice. However, these new findings suggest that liquid water was present longer than previously believed. "The shape of the ripples could only have been formed under water that was open to the atmosphere," stated Claire Mondro, a sedimentologist at CalTech and lead author of the study.

The ripple marks, approximately 0.5 centimeters tall and spaced 4 to 5 centimeters apart, point to small waves in a lake estimated to be less than 2 meters deep. These structures date back around 3.7 billion years, hinting at a warmer atmosphere that could have supported microbial life for a longer period.

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