US space agency NASA’s Curiosity rover found stunning new evidence of an ancient lake in the form of rocks etched with the ripples of waves in the foothills of a Martian mountain.
The rover is traversing an area of Mars called the sulfate-bearing unit that researchers previously thought would only show evidence of mere trickles of water. The rover has now found some of the clearest evidence yet of ancient waters. The sulfate-bearing unit is a region previously identified by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter as containing salty mineral deposits just beneath a 5,500-meter mountain called Mount Sharp.
According to NASA, Curiosity has attempted to extract samples from some of the rocks, but they proved too hard for the rover’s drill. Meanwhile, scientists are hoping the vehicle will stumble on some softer spots more conducive to sample collection as its trek continues. The Curiosity rover has been exploring the Martian surface for about a decade, and it’s been climbing the base of Mount Sharp since 2014.