A team of scientists has uncovered remnants of ancient river systems on Mars that once had conditions suitable for supporting life. The research team at Penn State University re-analyzed data collected by NASA's Curiosity rover in Gale Crater, finding that the formations were life-sustaining water bodies much more abundant than previously thought. The team identified shallow areas and hills within the landscape, which could indicate the presence of ancient river deposits in the craters.
Scientists noted, "It is also believed that these water bodies are similar to those found on Earth, which are crucial for life, chemical cycles, nutrient cycles, and deposits." Benjamin Cardenas, an assistant professor of Earth Sciences at Penn State and the principal investigator, stated, "We found evidence that Mars was likely rich in rivers. We see signs of this all over the planet."
The study was conducted by mapping the erosion of Mars's ancient soil using a computer model trained on satellite data. The data came from Curiosity and the three-dimensional scanning of rock layers, called strata, that were deposited over millions of years beneath the Gulf of Mexico's seafloor. While designing their computer model, Cardenas and his team found a new application for surveys conducted 25 years ago for Earth layers gathered by oil companies. Cardenas mentioned, "This suggests that there could be undiscovered river deposits elsewhere on the planet and that a larger portion of the Martian sedimentary record may have been formed by rivers during a habitable period in Mars's history."
