An ancient ocean on Mars may have covered as much as a third of the Red Planet, according to Chinese researchers.
China's Mars rover Zhurong, which landed on the Red Planet in May 2021, has reportedly discovered evidence of the ocean’s existence while exploring a sector in the southern portion of the Utopia Planitia region, which covers most of Mars' northern hemisphere.
The rover may have discovered the border of the ocean's coastline. Zhurong's latest findings were recently published in the academic journal Nature.
The researchers who authored the study claim that the ancient ocean covered a third of the planet around 3.7 billion years ago but froze and vanished after about 300 million years. (Related: Mars likely had water as early as 4.4 billion years ago, researchers say.)
The team used remote sensing and in situ data to identify water-related features, as well as sedimentary deposits and subsurface layers.
Researchers found that the Utopia Planitia region is divided into three regions of variable depths, along with a shore domain, a shallow sea area and a deep marine territory.
This discovery backs the theory of an ancient sea once covering the Martian northern lowlands. The sedimentary rocks and layered rock formations give additional evidence of previous water processes.
"In situ observations including sedimentary deposit rocks, water-related lamination features, and subsurface sedimentary layers, also indicate past water activities," the researchers wrote.
According to the study, the region went through a transition from a flooded landscape to a desert-like area over billions of years, as Mars' extremely thin atmosphere caused its water to evaporate.
Flooding of Utopia Planitia happened about 3.68 billion years ago
Based on rover data and satellite imagery, the researchers estimated that the flooding of Utopia Planitia took place about 3.68 billion years ago.
After the flooding, the shallow and deep marine units had formed. The subsurface volatile gases and liquids disappeared over time, resulting in the ensuing drying up of the marine environment and the formation of the present geological features.
"The ocean surface was likely frozen in a geologically short period, with liquid water solidified and material deposited by sedimentary load from the water body to form the dry shallow marine unit approximately 3.5 billion years ago, and later the dry deep marine unit 3.42 billion years ago," Bo Wu, lead author of the study, said in an interview with the South China Morning Post.
The team plans to examine the formation of these water-connected features and evaluate ocean depths.
The Utopia Planitia region was first examined by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Viking 2 mission when the lander of the same name landed in the region in 1976. Planetary researchers from that time have theorized about an ancient ocean in the Martian northern lowlands.
The recent study offers strong evidence and could provide insights into Mars' early history and the effect of water on its climate and atmosphere. Nevertheless, the researchers said the recent study is not a conclusive proof of an ancient ocean, stating that Martian rock samples will be needed to validate any theories.
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