According to Engadget, Tuesday, November 24, 2020.
Previous images of the Great Passage of Mars and the giant wavy features on its surface known as “giant ripples” have shown that the planet suffered catastrophic floods in the past. Now, using data collected by the Mars Curiosity Rover, a team of scientists has proven that a great flood swept through Gale Crater about 4 billion years ago.
Alberto G. Fairén, co-author of the paper published in Nature, said, “We have discovered the megaflood for the first time using detailed sedimentological data observed by the rover Curiosity. Sediments left behind by the megaflood had not been previously identified by orbiter data. “
A team of scientists from Jackson State University, Cornell University, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the University of Hawaii used Mars Mirror images from the Mars Curiosity Rover and images from the Mastcam camera to look at rocks and minerals in the Gale Crater. What they found was sediment that they believe was caused by a massive flash flood that occurred after Mt. Sharp and the Gale crater first formed.
They believe that the floods were caused by a massive meteorite impact that generated enough heat to melt a large amount of the planet’s ice. The event released carbon dioxide and methane, which combined with water vapor to create a warm, humid climate in a short period of time. This led to heavy rains across the planet, and water (and sediment) slid down the mountain. Mt. Sharp flooded the Gale impact crater. So, what does this mean exactly?
As you most likely know, the existence of water can mean the existence of life. That’s why NASA and other space agencies have been trying to find evidence of water on other objects in our solar system. Fern explains, “Earth has conditions that support the existence of liquid water – on Earth, where there’s water, there’s life. “
After it landed on the surface of Mars in February 2021, it is now Perseverance’s job to look for evidence of ancient life on our planetary neighbors.
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