Friday, July 11, 2025

Ancient Rivers in Noachis Terra Reveal Mars' Long-Lived Wet Past

This color image from the MRO's HiRISE camera shows a flat topped, heavily eroded fluvial sinuous ridge (FSR) on Mars. Sand dunes can be seen migrating over the top of the FSR. FSRs are created when rivers deposit sediment. The sediments hardens until it's harder than the surrounding terrain. As aeolian erosion wears down the softer, surrounding rock, the FSR is left behind as evidence of the ancient river. HiRISE Image: ESP_085386_1505. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona. Licence type: Attribution (CC BY 4.0)

In the last couple of decades, evidence has accumulated showing that ancient Mars was a warm planet with abundant water flowing across its surface. The more scientists study the planet, the more evidence they find. New research examining Mars' Noachis Terra region adds to this evidence, showing that flowing water was once widespread across this less-often studied region.



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