NASA Rover Finds Evidence of Fast-Flowing Rivers on Mars

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – NASA robot finds new evidence that Mars was once full of water. Not only lakes or seas, but also full of fast-flowing rivers that are used for rafting on Earth.

Perseverance, a NASA rover, has found signs of an ancient river in the Jazero Crater on Mars. The former watercourse that Perseverance found is full of large stones that could not have been created by just dripping or standing water.

“This is an indication of a fast river carrying a lot of debris,” said Libby Ives of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). “The faster the water flows, the easier it is to move large streams of material.”

The location where Perseverance found the former river is known as Skrinkle Haven. The site is studded with boulders with curved features thought to have been formed by rushing water.

Skrinkle Haven isn’t the first evidence that Mars was once full of water. At Pinestead, a hill located 0.45 kilometers from Skrinkle Haven Perseverance discovered layers of sedimentary rock, up to 20 meters high.

“A layer like this is too high for rivers on Earth. However, the only way soil like this could form is for rivers to flow,” says Ives.

The Jezero crater itself is 45 kilometers wide. Scientists estimate that this crater was once filled by giant lakes and river deltas. Perseverance will continue to explore Jezero, which according to NASA was an ecosystem that could support life like Earth.

“This is the first time we have seen areas like this on Mars. Now we are imagining rivers on a much larger scale than we previously thought,” said Katie Stack Morgan of JPL.

Perseverance lands on Jezero in February 2021, along with a mini helicopter named Ingenuity. This robot is tasked with studying the geology of Mars and looking for evidence of past life, then bringing samples from the planet back to Earth.

(the/the)