January 29, 2025 at 1:53 pm

Mars Rover Data Shows That The Red Planet’s Northern Hemisphere Was Once Likely Covered By A Massive Ocean

by Michael Levanduski

Source: NASA

The Chinese Mars rover named Zhurong landed on the red planet on May 14, 2021 and accomplished a lot in its year of study. Unfortunately, a stand storm and the Martian winter caused the rover to stop responding, so it went offline sooner than hoped.

Despite its relatively short life, it was able to send back a lot of incredible information about Mars. It was operating in a location called Utopia Planitia.

According to a study that was published in the journal Scientific Reports based on the information from Zhurong, it is almost certain that the differences in landscape were caused by water in the distant past.

Specifically, the rocks and terrain on the ground show evidence that they were moved around and shaped by the water. In fact, almost the entire northern hemisphere of the planet was likely covered by a massive ocean. Experts cannot yet determine if that ocean was liquid water, solid ice, or possibly ice on top with significant amounts of liquid below.

At the very least, it almost certainly had ice on top for extended periods of time.

Source: Shutterstock

The researchers suggest that the large ocean existed somewhere between 3.65 and 3.68 billion years ago. Then, over the course of around 230 million years, the ocean shrank until it disappeared entirely.

The rover was able to confirm that there were minerals that were created through water (or ice) interactions in the distant past.

The growing evidence concerning oceans in Mars’s distant past are important. It further shows that there is likely water, or ice, present in a variety of areas under the planet’s surface. If humans ever want to be able to build permanent settlements on Mars, this will be essential.

Source: Shutterstock

Additional information is always being gathered by other rovers as well as satellites orbiting the planet and sending pictures and other details back to researchers on Earth.

Imagine an ocean the size of the entire northern hemisphere.

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