Liquid water on Mars more evident now

London, April 26 :

Water could be flowing on the red planet more recently that previously thought, says a study.

“We have discovered a very young crater in the southern mid-latitudes of mars that shows evidence of liquid water in Mars in recent past,” said Andreas Johnsson from University of Gothenburg in Sweden.

With crater statistics, the researchers determined the age of the crater to be approximately 200,000 years.

It implied that the crater was formed long after the most recent proposed ice age on mars, which ended around 400,000 years ago, said the study.

The crater contains very well-preserved gullies and debris flow deposits. The geomorphological attributes of these landforms provide evidence that they were formed by the action of liquid water in geologically recent time.

The researchers could compare the landforms on mars with known debris flows on Svalbard with the aid of aerial photography and field studies.

The debris flows on Mars provide evidence that liquid water has been present in the region.

“Our fieldwork on Svalbard confirmed our interpretation of the Martian deposits. What surprised us was that the crater in which these debris flows have formed is so young,” said Johnsson.

(IANS)