Scientists have identified evidence suggesting that liquid water once flowed openly on Mars, indicating that the planet may have had habitable conditions for a longer period than previously believed. According to reports, NASA’s Curiosity rover captured images of rippling patterns in Gale Crater, a sign that water interacted with the Martian atmosphere in ancient times. The discovery challenges earlier models suggesting that surface water on Mars was always trapped beneath ice. Experts have long debated the nature of Martian water, but new findings indicate that the planet’s lakes were exposed to air, allowing liquid water to exist in a way previously unconfirmed by researchers.

Rippling Patterns Indicate Open Water

According to the study published in Science Advances, the formations observed by Curiosity resemble wave ripples commonly found in lakebeds on Earth. The patterns were documented in two separate areas of Gale Crater, which the rover has been exploring since 2012. Researchers believe the structures, measuring approximately 6 millimetres in height and spaced between 4 to 5 centimetres apart, were shaped by wind and water in a shallow Martian lake.

Claire Mondro, sedimentologist at Caltech and the study’s lead author, explained in an official statement that the ripples could only have been formed by water exposed to the atmosphere and influenced by wind. The findings suggest that Mars once had a denser atmosphere capable of sustaining surface water for an extended period.

Implications for Martian Habitability

As per Live Science, reports indicate that the lakebeds in Gale Crater date back around 3.7 billion years, extending the timeframe in which Mars could have supported microbial life. If liquid water persisted longer than previously thought, conditions favourable for life may have existed for an extended period. Experts suggest that the presence of surface water is a crucial factor in assessing whether Mars once harboured life.

Mars eventually lost its atmosphere and surface water due to solar radiation, with scientists attributing the change to the planet’s weakened magnetic field. Over billions of years, carbon dioxide and water were stripped away into space, transforming Mars into the dry, barren landscape observed today. The latest discovery provides new insights into Mars’ climate history and raises further questions about its potential to have supported life in the past.