NASA MRO HiRISE/CRISM False Color Composite
2023.03.17 Fri posted at 10:38 JST
（ＣＮＮ） At a conference in Texas, scientists recently announced the discovery of glacial tracks near the equator of Mars. This suggests that water may still exist in some form in the area.
Glaciers no longer exist, but the researchers found evidence of their presence in mineral deposits near the Martian equator. Ore deposits in this area usually contain sulfates.
Upon closer inspection, the researchers identified glacial features such as ridges called moraine (debris deposited or displaced by glacial movement). They also found crevasses, deep wedge-shaped fissures within the glacier.
Image detailing where glaciers once existed/NASA MRO HiRISE/CRISM False Color Composite
A series of research results were announced on the 15th at the 54th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference held in Texas, USA.
“What we found was not ice, but salt deposits with detailed glacial morphology.” Pascal Lee, lead author of the study and a senior planetary scientist at the SETI Institute and the Mars Institute, said in a statement:
A map of Mars near the equator showing where glacial tracks were found
“We think the salt formed on top of the glacier while preserving the shape of the underlying ice,” Lee said. “Details like crevasse fields and moraine bands were preserved.”
The researchers estimate that the glacier was 6 kilometers long, 4 kilometers wide and 1.3 to 1.7 kilometers high.
High resolution image showing glacier detail/NASA MRO HiRISE/SETI Institute/Pascal Lee
The glacier existed during the geologic epoch of Mars called the Amazon age. The Amazon age began 2.9 billion years ago and continues today.
