Ancient lakes spotted on Mars
Sharon MillerRecent images of the surface of Mars show the likelihood of large ancient lakes existing on the planet about three billion years ago.
Nasa’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spotted a series of depressions which appear interconnected by what seem to be drainage channels.
Researchers have said that the Red Planet’s features are similar to the ones created by liquid water.
One key revelation is that the lakes appear to have been created at a much later time in the Mars’ history than previously believed in the scientific community.
Scientific experts working under the guidance of Imperial and University Colleges London, looked at images of several depressions located above an immense gorge about 2,000km across the equator of Mars with astronomers call Ares Vallis.
Measuring on average about 20kms in diameter, these depressions were previously thought to stem from ground collapsing as ice stuck in the ground was released in the planet’s atmosphere in a natural process called sublimation, This happens when water turn from its solid form, ice, to its gaseous form, vapour.
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