Discovery of Billion-Year-Old Seashores on Mars

1st March 2025

1 minute read

Discovery of Billion-Year-Old Seashores on Mars

In the 1970s, images captured by NASA’s Mariner 9 probe revealed water-carved surfaces on Mars, settling the long-standing debate over whether water once flowed on the Red Planet.

Since then, increasing evidence has suggested that water played a significant role in Mars‘ history.

For instance, Martian meteorites contain traces of water dating back 4.5 billion years. Even today, recent impact craters reveal the presence of ice beneath the Martian surface.
While key questions remain about the exact timing and volume of water on Mars, the most crucial question persists: Did Mars ever have oceans?

A new study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provides a fresh perspective on this matter. A research team led by Jianhui Li from Guangzhou University in China, in collaboration with American scientists, analyzed data collected by China’s Zhurong rover, operated by the China National Space Administration. These data reveal unprecedented details about buried rock formations near what is believed to be an ancient shoreline dating back billions of years.

Image of Utopia Planitia on Mars

The team used ground-penetrating radar technology to analyze the buried rocks in Utopia Planitia, the largest impact basin on Mars. The findings suggest the presence of ancient coastal deposits, providing new evidence that Mars may have once housed vast oceans in its past.

Image of Utopia Planitia on Mars

This discovery adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting that water persisted on Mars for longer than previously thought, raising the possibility that habitable environments may have existed during a later period in the planet’s history.