Scientists from the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) found that Mars did not become waterless immediately, and periods of humidity and drought changed over time. This was stated in an official message Web site Space Agency.
The researchers’ conclusions are based on new data obtained by the Curiosity rover. The car reached the Gediz Valley Canal, a sinuous structure resembling a dry river bed. The channel is located at the foot of Mount Sharp or Aeolis, the central peak of Gale Crater.
Curiosity documented the channel with a 360-degree black-and-white panorama captured by the rover’s left navigation camera. The photo shows dark sand filling one side of the canal and a pile of rubble rising just beyond the sand. In the opposite direction is the steep hill that Curiosity climbed to reach this area.
The information the device conveyed about the composition of the rocks revealed a layer rich in sulfates and salty minerals, which are often formed when water evaporates.
The analysis showed that the geological structure in the lower part of Mount Sharp shows alternating periods of drought and wetness. This means that this region of Mars goes through a certain number of water return cycles.
“If the channel or debris pile is truly composed of liquid water, it would mean that after a long period of drought, water was returning to Mount Sharp and there was a lot of water,” explained project scientist Ashwin Vasavada.
Planetary scientists before to come They concluded that Mars’ wet period was shorter than they previously thought.