BEIJING, May 12, 2022 (Xinhua) Chinese scientists have found new evidence of water on the surface of Mars in the past, and there are also wet minerals on the Red Planet that can be exploited during future Mars missions.
The study, which was published today (Thursday) in the journal Science Advances, revealed that there is a large impact basin on the surface of Mars that contained liquid water during the Amazon era, the most recent geological era on the planet.
The findings add to the number of signs that liquid water activities may have persisted on Mars for much longer than previously thought.
The study also indicated that in this particular location, there is currently a large stock of water in the form of wet minerals and possibly ground ice.
The researchers, led by those of the National Space Science Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, used data collected by the Chinese Mars rover (Zhurong) on the sedimentary and mineral properties of the southern part of Utopia Planicia, a vast plain in the northern hemisphere of Mars.
Another Chinese study, published in March in the journal Nature Geoscience, also revealed that the site where the Churong lander landed may have been swept away by wind and possibly also dredged by water.
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