Mars may have had many lakes filled with water for 10,000 years

NASA researchers believe that some ancient lakes on Mars may have been filled with water for 10,000 years, long enough for life to form and grow.

10,000 years ago, Mars used to contain a lot of lakes

According to Guardian, researchers from the US Aeronautics Agency (NASA) said yesterday that ancient lakes appeared and disappeared over millions of years in the Gale crater basin on Mars could exist. now long enough for life to grow.

Analysis of the latest images from the Curiosity Mars explorer robot shows evidence of those basin lakes that existed for thousands of years. The lake is formed by water from the mouth of the mountain and the river flows from high to low-lying areas, then dries. Although these lakes are no longer available, the soil there still has some moisture.

Curiosity robot walks around the foot of Sharp mountain, a mountain formed by many layers of sediment between Gale basin, about 5km high. Using images sent by Curiosity, scientists discovered the nature of the terrain in that area.

The shaped grooves curving on the mountainside indicate that water may have formed them.(Photo: Demotix / Corbis).

" The sediments form the foot of Sharp's mountain that was submerged in a lake environment , " said Sharon Wilson, a geologist at Smithsonia Institute, Washington, and lead author of the study. "These materials are transported from the crater by the river on the ancient Mars."

The sediment image shows gravel and sand erupting from the northern mountains of the crater area, then moving south, settling in shallow streams, forming in the delta near the boundary of an ancient lake. Although these lakes do not exist permanently, some of them may have been filled with water for about 10,000 years.

"On Earth, we know that water is an essential component to form and sustain life. If that also applies to Mars, the presence of long-standing lakes can be an ideal environment for life grows, " Wilson said. She added: "If Mars ever had life, it must certainly adapt to survive through climate change."

Marjorie Chan, a geologist at the University of Utah, says that the number of images shows that there is water on Mars, from ancient lake photographs, to the discovery of salt water, making people more hope to give birth live here.

"I always thought it was possible to live on Mars , " Chan said. "On Earth, any area that has groundwater for the past 3.5 billion years, appears microorganisms. The more geological features like Earth, the more likely life can be formed and distributed. growing on areas with water in Mars ".