Ancient Discovery: Scientists Uncover 3 Billion-Year-Old Martian Beach That Could Rewrite Mars History!

In the 1970s, NASA’s Mariner 9 spacecraft shocked the world by showing evidence that water shaped the surface of Mars. This discovery confirmed that water once flowed across the red planet, stirring up debates that had long puzzled scientists.

Since then, more findings have built up a strong case for water’s significant past on Mars. Some Martian meteorites suggest that water existed as far back as 4.5 billion years ago. Recent impact craters also indicate that ice lies beneath the surface right now.

The big questions today revolve around the timeline of Mars’s water. When did it appear? How much was there? And perhaps most intriguing: Did oceans ever exist on Mars?

A recent study published in PNAS has added exciting details to these questions. Led by Jianhui Li from Guangzhou University, a team of Chinese and American scientists analyzed data from the Zhurong rover, which was sent to Mars by the China National Space Administration.

The Zhurong rover has provided unique insights into ancient rocks near what they believe to be a Martian shoreline that is billions of years old. Researchers are confident they have identified beach deposits from a long-lost ocean on Mars.

Rovers like Zhurong look at many things on Mars, including its geology, soil, and atmosphere, all in search of water. Water is critical in understanding if Mars could have supported life.

Sedimentary rocks are especially interesting. These rocks can hold clues about past water presence. For instance, NASA’s Perseverance rover is busy examining the Jezero crater, thought to be an ancient lake where a river once flowed into a larger body of water.

Meanwhile, Zhurong is focused on remnants of an ancient ocean in Mars’ northern hemisphere.

The Zhurong rover, named after a mythological fire god, landed in Utopia Planitia, an enormous impact site on Mars. Here, it studies paleoshorelines—ancient shorelines that stretch for thousands of kilometers, believed to be leftovers from a global ocean that once surrounded the northern part of the planet.

However, scientists have different opinions on whether these paleoshorelines truly indicate a past ocean, and more research is needed to settle the dispute.

On Earth, oceanic geological records are unique. While modern oceans are comparatively young, the Earth’s rock layers tell a tale of many older oceans—some billions of years old. Understanding these layers can provide valuable context for examining Mars.

Zhurong collected vital data along a 1.3 km line at the basin’s edge, called a transect. This line helped scientists understand the types of rocks present and what they signify.

Using ground-penetrating radar, Zhurong explored down to 100 meters beneath the surface. The findings revealed many layers of buried rocks that shared a structure similar to coastal sediments found on Earth.

These results suggest that the rocks could be remnants of a beach, consistent with the idea that a once-thriving ocean lapped gently against a shore of ancient Mars.

The Noachian period, from 4.1 to 3.7 billion years ago, is often highlighted as a time when Mars was wet and water was abundant. Images from orbit show valleys and mineral deposits that suggest surface water was present during this time.

On the other hand, evidence of water from the Hesperian period, which stretches from 3.7 to 3 billion years ago, is less clear. Remarkable images show channels formed by catastrophic ground water releases rather than standing bodies of water.

This evidence suggests that Mars began to cool and dry out during the Hesperian period. Nevertheless, the discoveries from Zhurong indicate that the presence of stable surface water may have lingered longer than we thought, possibly into the Late Hesperian. This suggests that the potential for life could have existed nearer to Mars’s present time.