Produced by: Manoj Kumar
Ancient wave ripples on Mars suggest long-gone shallow lakes once open to the atmosphere.
The ripples, spaced 4–5 cm apart, formed in shallow water less than 2 meters deep.
Dating back 3.7 billion years, the ripples indicate Mars once had a warm, dense climate.
Credit : NASA
Two ripple sets were found by NASA’s Curiosity rover in Gale Crater in 2022.
The ripples formed during a time previously thought to mark Mars’s transition to dryness.
Claire Mondro of Caltech notes that extended liquid water increases the chance for life.
Michael Lamb used models to analyze the ripples, revealing wind-driven wave formation.
Published in Science Advances, the study advances Mars paleoclimate understanding.
John Grotzinger highlights how this discovery fulfills a goal dating back to 2004 missions.