Mars' platform is still a planet that makes scientists sound, whether it has ever been home to the oceans or not. Now, they have found the latest evidence where the oceans have existed on the planet.
Armed with topographical map data, scientists have found clear evidence of a 3.5 billion-year-old coastline. With a thickness of about 900 meters, the ocean covers thousands of kilo square meters.
These findings show a higher potential to claim the existence of life on Mars than previously thought.
Topographical maps provide the strongest evidence that the planet has experienced sea level rise consistent with a warm and wet climate than today's harsh frozen climate.
"The existence of an ocean of this size means it has a higher potential for life. It also tells us about the ancient climate and its evolution. Based on these findings, we know there must be periods when it is warm enough and the atmosphere is thick enough to support this much liquid water at one time", said the study's lead author, Benjamin Cardenas, quoted from Metro, Tuesday, November 1.
"On Earth, we mapped the history of waterways by looking at sediment deposited over time. We call it a stratigraphy, the idea that water transports sediment and you can measure changes on Earth by understanding how sediment accumulates," he added.
The topography map was obtained by scientists from NASA's Mars Orbiter Laser Altimer, then they used the software developed by the United States Geological Survey to spy on the data.
They found more than 6,500 kilometers of river backs and grouped them into 20 groups, suggesting they may be eroded river deltas or underwater channel belts, remnants of ancient Mars coastline.
The area that used to be oceanic is now known as Aeolis Dorsa and contains a collection of the most populous river mountains on the planet.
Cardenas sees Aeolis Dorsa as a dynamic ocean and has experienced significant sea level rise.
If other scientists wish to find a record of life on Mars, a sea as big as ever covering Aeolis Dorsa would be the most logical place to start according to Cardenas.
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