Researchers offer proof for ancient Martian ocean's existence
Researchers have presented compelling evidence supporting the existence of a long-vanished ocean on Mars.
TroibNews 
Chinese researchers have collaborated with international scientists to detect subsurface dipping reflectors that indicate an ancient prograding shoreline on Mars, as detailed in a recent study published in the journal PNAS.
These findings present the clearest subsurface evidence suggesting the presence of an ancient ocean on the red planet.
While orbital imagery has revealed ancient shorelines implying that the northern lowlands of Mars may have once been inundated by an ocean covering a third of its surface, the idea of a Martian ocean remains a topic of debate.
This controversy arises from the uneven elevation distribution of the ancient shorelines inferred from remote sensing data, alongside the geological changes, weathering, and resurfacing that Mars has undergone over the past 4 billion years, which may have altered or obscured signs of the ancient ocean's surface.
China’s Mars rover Zhurong successfully landed in southern Utopia Planitia in May 2021. By May 2022, it had traveled 1,921 meters across the Martian landscape, gathering extensive scientific data.
Zhurong is equipped with a dual-frequency subsurface-penetrating radar system capable of exploring subsurface structures and potential water ice deposits.
Using radar data collected by the rover, researchers from Guangzhou University, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tongji University, the University of California, Berkeley, and Pennsylvania State University identified extensive dipping deposits beneath the surface of southern Utopia Planitia.
The reflectors exhibited unidirectional dips with angles ranging from six to 20 degrees, imaged to a thickness of 10 to 35 meters along a continuous 1.3-kilometer northward traverse perpendicular to the shoreline.
These structures closely resemble the radar imaging results of coastal sediments found on Earth. Their consistent physical properties ruled out alternative explanations such as aeolian sand dunes or fluvial alluviation.
The characteristics, thickness, and extent of the deposits indicate a significant supply of onshore sediments flowing into a large body of water rather than the result of a localized and short-lived melting event, as noted in the article.
These findings bolster the hypothesis of an ancient Martian ocean in the northern plains and provide essential insights into the evolution of Mars' ancient environment.
James del Carmen for TROIB News
These findings present the clearest subsurface evidence suggesting the presence of an ancient ocean on the red planet.
While orbital imagery has revealed ancient shorelines implying that the northern lowlands of Mars may have once been inundated by an ocean covering a third of its surface, the idea of a Martian ocean remains a topic of debate.
This controversy arises from the uneven elevation distribution of the ancient shorelines inferred from remote sensing data, alongside the geological changes, weathering, and resurfacing that Mars has undergone over the past 4 billion years, which may have altered or obscured signs of the ancient ocean's surface.
China’s Mars rover Zhurong successfully landed in southern Utopia Planitia in May 2021. By May 2022, it had traveled 1,921 meters across the Martian landscape, gathering extensive scientific data.
Zhurong is equipped with a dual-frequency subsurface-penetrating radar system capable of exploring subsurface structures and potential water ice deposits.
Using radar data collected by the rover, researchers from Guangzhou University, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tongji University, the University of California, Berkeley, and Pennsylvania State University identified extensive dipping deposits beneath the surface of southern Utopia Planitia.
The reflectors exhibited unidirectional dips with angles ranging from six to 20 degrees, imaged to a thickness of 10 to 35 meters along a continuous 1.3-kilometer northward traverse perpendicular to the shoreline.
These structures closely resemble the radar imaging results of coastal sediments found on Earth. Their consistent physical properties ruled out alternative explanations such as aeolian sand dunes or fluvial alluviation.
The characteristics, thickness, and extent of the deposits indicate a significant supply of onshore sediments flowing into a large body of water rather than the result of a localized and short-lived melting event, as noted in the article.
These findings bolster the hypothesis of an ancient Martian ocean in the northern plains and provide essential insights into the evolution of Mars' ancient environment.
James del Carmen for TROIB News
