A recent study by scientists suggests that Mars may have experienced cycles of wet and dry seasons in the past, increasing the potential for habitable conditions on the planet.
NASA’s Curiosity Rover has observed the Martian surface, revealing evidence of occasional water presence before it evaporated.
The scientists from France, the US, and Canada propose that this process continued until mud cracks formed on Mars.
“These exciting observations of mature mud cracks help us understand the history of water on Mars. How did Mars transition from a warm, wet planet to the cold, dry world we see today?”
“These mud cracks indicate the existence of wet-dry environments that are conducive to the development of organic molecules and potential life. Collectively, these findings provide us with a clearer understanding of Mars as a habitable world,” explained Nina Lanza, lead investigator of the ChemCam instrument onboard the Curiosity Rover and one of the study’s authors.
Mud cracks on Earth initially assume a T-shape and gradually transform into a Y-shape due to wetting and drying cycles. Scientists have observed the Y-shaped mud cracks on Mars, suggesting that the planet experienced dry and wet seasons similar to Earth at some point.
As reported in the journal Nature, these cracks are only a few centimeters deep, indicating that the wet and dry cycles could have been seasonal or more abrupt, resembling flash floods.
This suggests that Mars may have once had a wet climate similar to Earth, making it conducive to the development of life. Patrick Gasda, the co-author of the study, explained, “The wet periods bring molecules together, and the dry periods drive reactions to form polymers. When these processes occur repeatedly in the same location, the chance of more complex molecules forming increases.”