WASHINGTON (July 16) - Minerals in the soil of Mars show it was covered once by lakes, rivers and other bodies of water that could have supported life, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday.
Mars once was covered by lakes, flowing rivers and other wet environments that had the potential to support life, researchers said Wednesday. Above, Echus Chasma is one of the largest water source regions on the Red Planet.
Researchers used NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to take a closer look at minerals on the Martian surface. The clay-like minerals -- or phyllosilicates -- suggest water interacted with rocks dating back to Mars' Noachian period billions of years ago. A trough in the Nili Fossae region of Mars, shown in the 3D image above, had expansive outcrops of phyllosilicates.
This photo shows a past lake on Mars. Ancient rivers transported minerals (shown in green) into the lake, forming the delta. The clays then were trapped by rocks (shown in purple).
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