Perseverance never ceases to reveal the secrets of the planet Mars. The rover exploring the Red Planet is currently in Jezero Crater. By examining the images returned by the NASA craft between February 28 and March 9, scientists realized that it was at the bottom of an old riverbed, reports Futura-Sciences Monday. And according to initial analyses, it would be one of the deepest and most tumultuous ever discovered.

The rocks at the site called Skrinkle Haven are found to be rather coarse sediments and large features that would give indications of the current that animated this river in the past. As we observe on Earth, the bigger and heavier the elements of a river, the higher the level of energy.



A strong current passed through the area

The images sent by the rover also show long curved strata. These are also visible from space which would prove once again that a powerful current took place at this place in the past. Scientists have yet to determine what kind of river flowed in these places. It could be a so-called meandriform or braid river. But the very long period of erosion (several billion years) has fundamentally diminished these rocks and makes the task complicated.

A GPR embedded in the rover could help learn more. According to Furura-Sciences, this discovery could push experts to review their knowledge of Martian rivers, whose flow must have been much higher than what has been evaluated so far.

  • Sciences
  • March
  • NASA
  • Space
  • Astronomy