China Mars Rover Has Made A Thrilling Discovery on Mars

Zhurong, China’s first Mars rover, has unveiled a fascinating discovery. Recent data from the rover suggest the presence of what appears to be an ancient coastline in Mars’ southern Utopia region.

A Coastline on Mars? How Is That Possible?

The Chinese rover Zhurong landed on Mars in May 2021, handling the analysis of deposits from the Vastitas Borealis. This region is a low plain to the Northern Hemisphere of Mars and has been hypothesized to have been home to an ocean.

Recent data collected from Zhurong show fine grains of hydrated silica on the planet’s Utopia Planitia. Hydrated silica is a form of silicon dioxide that is found in oceans here on earth.

Sighting this compound on Mars might prove there was once an ocean on the red planet. From the analysis of the data collected from Zhurong, researchers suspect that a water body exited on Mars about 3.68 billion years ago.

The ocean might have disappeared some 3.42 billion years ago due to exposure to natural forces. Scientists hope to use available data from this finding to investigate the possible existence of water on Mars.