Mars once had rippling oceans!

Scientists have uncovered a huge secret hidden beneath the dry, barren surface of Mars . The Red Planet may have once been home to coastlines and oceans, according to new research.

River valleys and sedimentary rocks have been found on Mars before, but the existence of oceans on the planet has been controversial. According to the news published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and compiled by The Guardian, underground imaging data from Zhurong's southern Utopia Planitia region indicates that Mars has coastlines. "Zhurong was sent to the region where paleocoastlines were mapped with satellite data. The data obtained is very similar to radar measurements taken in coastal areas on Earth," said Dr. Benjamin Cardenas of Penn State University.

MARS' COASTLINES MAY HAVE CHANGED OVER TIME

The researchers noted that data from the northern lowlands of Mars are tilted toward the water, indicating the existence of an ancient ocean. Moreover, the structure detected by Zhurong suggests that the coastlines have shifted position over time.

“The data suggest that the coastline has extended northward by at least 1.3 km, meaning that tides, waves and rivers were once active here,” Dr. Cardenas said.

COULD THERE BE LIFE ON MARS IN THE PAST?

Researchers state that these sloping structures were not formed by volcanic movements, wind-borne sand dunes or river currents. The detected structures may be one of the strongest evidence that there were oceans on Mars in the past. Dr. Cardenas stated that this discovery strengthens the possibility of past life on Mars, saying, "We know that life first emerged in shallow waters on Earth. A new exploration mission should be sent to this region to search for traces of life on Mars." However, these beaches on Mars were quite different from tropical beaches on Earth. Even though there were no palm trees or seagulls, scientists are very excited to reconstruct these ancient landscapes. Cardenas said, "It's really worth dreaming about!" and emphasized that discoveries about Mars' past will continue.