Researchers Find a new type of crater lake on Mars
A new type of ancient crater lake has been discovered on Mars. The unnamed crater lake provides evidence of ancient streams and ponds. The researchers involved in this study could not find any evidence for the presence of groundwater activity or any inlet channels from where water could have entered the crater lake. However, they have concluded that this system was backed by a long-lost Martian glacier, as reported in a news article published by Brown University.
This new type of crater lake is different from those currently being explored by the rovers of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). They are currently exploring the Gale and Jezero crater lakes.
The soaring ridges that criss-cross the floor of a Martian crater were likely created by runoff from a long-lost glacier that once covered the planet’s southern highlands. Credit: NASA
The study was led by Ben Boatwright, a doctoral student at the university. The research findings were published in the Planetary Science Journal, one of the peer-reviewed journals of the American Astronomical Society, on March 12.
According to the researchers, the water entered the crater by runoff from a Martian glacier. This was the reason why he did not leave a valley behind. If the water had fallen directly to the ground, it would have left a valley.
Speaking about his find, Ben said that his research provides clues to the early climatic condition of Mars. According to Ben, the new study pointing to ancient glaciation could address the lack of geological evidence for cold and icy conditions on early Mars.
This development comes after researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) also published new research that found that the old Martian water has been trapped within the minerals of the crust of Mars. The study suggested that 30 to 99 percent of the missing water on Mars may be hidden in the crust.
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