3.5 billion years ago, Mars was of course hard to distinguish from Earth, the two planets had similar hues. Proposed several years ago, the past existence of a vast Martian ocean seems an increasingly convincing hypothesis, especially thanks to data reported by the Chinese rover Zhurong.
This assumption is not new but it is slowly becoming almost certain. If we know that Mars once had lakes and rivers, as several observations suggest, especially in Jezero Crater, then the Red Planet would also have had a vast ocean, covering a third of its surface. was
A number of small clues actually point to this hypothesis, and especially those gathered by the data The Chinese RoverThe Chinese Rover Zhurong I landedNorthern HemisphereNorthern Hemisphere 2021 is said to be the end of a vast flat area of the planet. Utopia Plenia. The results of this mission were presented in a previous article and were specifically based on the analysis of Sedimentary rockSedimentary rock Presenting typical forms of the marine environment that are subject to wave action. Therefore, the Zhurong landing site, in the distant past, corresponded to an ancient beach.
Several clues suggest the presence of an ocean 3.5 billion years ago.
In a study recently published in the journal The natureA team of researchers led by Bo Wu of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University revises these findings by incorporating new satellite observations. There GeomorphologyGeomorphology The region is in fact in agreement with the hypothesis of an ancient ocean and the rover’s field data.
All of this leads researchers to suggest that this Martian ocean formed between 3.65 and 3.68 billion years ago in the late Neocene. The ocean must have “mature” about 3.5-3.42 billion years ago, including the development of deep and shallow areas. It would have frozen, then evaporated during the Amazonian before disappearing completely 3.4 billion years ago.
New field analyzes will be required.
A relatively accurate scenario that leaves some scientists skeptical, as revealed in this interview with AFP’s Benjamin Cardenas. Although he acknowledges that the Martian ocean hypothesis is possible, the team behind the new study has not considered enough for the researcher what wind erosion might do to the landscape over the long term. can The geomorphological observations described here as evidence for the presence of an ancient ocean can in fact be linked to its action. take outtake out.
So new missions need to be able to confirm that an ocean has been captured. Utopia Field 3.5 billion years ago and to find out if Martian life could have taken advantage of it and developed there.
