{"id":791317,"date":"2024-11-20T07:15:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-20T12:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=791317"},"modified":"2024-11-20T07:15:00","modified_gmt":"2024-11-20T12:15:00","slug":"more-evidence-for-ancient-ocean-on-mars-from-chinese-rover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=791317","title":{"rendered":"More evidence for ancient ocean on Mars from Chinese rover"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_493004\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-493004\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-493004\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">View larger. | Artist\u2019s concept of an ancient ocean on Mars. A new study of data from China\u2019s Zhurong rover supports the existence of a vast ocean in the Utopia Planitia region in the northern hemisphere billions of years ago. Image via ESO\/ M. Kornmesser.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Did Mars ever have an ocean?<\/strong> Some studies have suggested it did, in the northern hemisphere lowlands, billions of years ago.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A new analysis of data from China\u2019s Zhurong rover<\/strong> adds to previous evidence for the ocean.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The ocean covered much of the Utopia Planitia region<\/strong> in the northern hemisphere, the new study suggests. It was at least 1,900 feet deep in the deepest parts. It later froze and then disappeared altogether.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The 2025 EarthSky lunar calendar is now available! A unique and beautiful poster-sized calendar. Keep up with all phases of the moon every night of the year.<\/p>\n<h3>More evidence for an ancient ocean on Mars<\/h3>\n<p>Last year, EarthSky reported that China\u2019s Zhurong rover found evidence for an ancient ocean on Mars. Now, another team of scientists in China said they\u2019ve found even more evidence for that ocean. The ocean would have covered a vast region of the lowlands in the Utopia Planitia region in the northern hemisphere.<\/p>\n<p>James Woodford wrote about the newest results in <em>New Scientist<\/em> on November 7, 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Researcher Bo Wu at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and his team published their peer-reviewed findings in <em>Scientific Reports<\/em> on November 7, 2024.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">A possible ancient shoreline has been found in the region of Mars being explored by the Chinese rover Zhurong, hinting that an ocean may once have covered a vast area of the lowlands in the planet\u2019s northern hemisphere. <\/p>\n<p>\u2014 New Scientist (@newscientist) <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/newscientist\/status\/1857933270735806777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 16, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>Shoreline of ancient ocean in Utopia Planitia<\/h3>\n<p>Previous evidence suggested there was a possible ancient ocean shoreline in Utopia Planitia. And that\u2019s where Zhurong landed in May 2021. Now, a new comprehensive study of topographic features in the region further supports that interpretation. This includes old trenches and riverbeds containing sediments. Surface deposits also point to an ancient shoreline.<\/p>\n<p>As the paper stated:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The Chinese Mars rover Zhurong successfully landed in southern Utopia Planitia on Mars in May 2021. Previous research suggested a Hesperian ocean might have existed in the northern lowland on Mars. Recent research observed water-related features at the Zhurong landing site from in situ data.<\/p>\n<p>In this study, we conducted a comprehensive geomorphological analysis of the landing area using remote sensing data, supplemented by in situ observations, and unveiled features consistent with the existence of a nearshore zone in southern Utopia.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The new evidence not only supports the existence of the ocean, but also sheds light on how it evolved over time. Wu said in <em>New Scientist<\/em>:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The findings not only provide further evidence to support the theory of a Martian ocean but also present, for the first time, a discussion on its probable evolutionary scenario.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<figure id=\"attachment_493000\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-493000\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2024\/11\/Mars-topographical-map-Utopia-Planitia-USGS.jpg\" alt=\"Map showing mostly reddish-yellow terrain in the bottom area and blue terrain in the top area. Small black text labels for various features.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" class=\"size-full wp-image-493000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2024\/11\/Mars-topographical-map-Utopia-Planitia-USGS.jpg 800w, https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2024\/11\/Mars-topographical-map-Utopia-Planitia-USGS-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2024\/11\/Mars-topographical-map-Utopia-Planitia-USGS-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-493000\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">View larger. | Topographical map of Mars showing the Utopia Planitia region in the northern hemisphere. This is where an ancient ocean might have existed billions of years ago. Image via USGS\/ New Scientist.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_493080\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-493080\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2024\/11\/Zhurong-rover-Tianwen-1-lander.png\" alt=\"Mechanical rover with 6 wheels, large solar panels and tall mast in the front, on reddish rocky soil.\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" class=\"size-full wp-image-493080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2024\/11\/Zhurong-rover-Tianwen-1-lander.png 800w, https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2024\/11\/Zhurong-rover-Tianwen-1-lander-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2024\/11\/Zhurong-rover-Tianwen-1-lander-768x512.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-493080\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">China\u2019s Tianwen-1 lander, using a remote camera, took this photo of the Zhurong rover after deployment to the surface. Image via China News Service\/ Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Ocean froze, then disappeared<\/h3>\n<p>The researchers think the ocean later froze over and then eventually just disappeared altogether. But clues can still be found in the rocks and terrain that Zhurong was studying. The researchers estimated the ocean existed about 3.68 billion years ago and ultimately vanished 260 million years later.<\/p>\n<p>The ocean was shallower in the south and deeper in the north. The evidence suggests it was at least 1,900 feet (600 meters) deep.<\/p>\n<h3>Life in the ocean?<\/h3>\n<p>Right now, we have no way of knowing if any life \u2013 most likely microbial \u2013 existed in the ocean. But it\u2019s certainly possible, as Wu noted:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Water is a key ingredient for life, and the past presence of an ocean on Mars raises the prospect that Mars once might have been capable of harboring microbial life at its early stage.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Bottom line: A new analysis of data from China\u2019s Zhurong rover supports the existence of an ancient ocean on Mars billions of years ago in the northern hemisphere.<\/p>\n<p>Source: A probable ancient nearshore zone in southern Utopia on Mars unveiled from observations at the Zhurong landing area<\/p>\n<p>Via New Scientist<\/p>\n<p>Read more: Ancient ocean on Mars? Chinese rover finds marine sediments<\/p>\n<p>Read more: Oceans of water on Mars deep underground?<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"cp-load-after-post\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"post-author\">\n<h4>Paul Scott Anderson<\/h4>\n<p>                    View Articles\n                  <\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-tags\">\n<h6 data-udy-fe=\"text_7c58270d\">About the Author:<\/h6>\n<p>Paul Scott Anderson has had a passion for space exploration that began when he was a child when he watched Carl Sagan\u2019s Cosmos. He studied English, writing, art and computer\/publication design in high school and college. He later started his blog The Meridiani Journal in 2005, which was later renamed Planetaria. He also later started the blog Fermi Paradoxica, about the search for life elsewhere in the universe.&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\nWhile interested in all aspects of space exploration, his primary passion is planetary science and SETI. In 2011, he started writing about space on a freelance basis with Universe Today. He has also written for SpaceFlight Insider and AmericaSpace and has also been published in The Mars Quarterly. He also did some supplementary writing for the iOS app Exoplanet.&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\nHe has been writing for EarthSky since 2018, and also assists with proofing and social media.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/space\/ocean-on-mars-utopia-planitia-zhurong-rover-china\/?rand=772280\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>View larger. | Artist\u2019s concept of an ancient ocean on Mars. A new study of data from China\u2019s Zhurong rover supports the existence of a vast ocean in the Utopia&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":791318,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-791317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-earth-sky"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=791317"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791317\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/791318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=791317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=791317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=791317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}