Chinese Mars rover detects irregular wedges beneath the surface

2023-11-24 14:33:30

MADRID, 24 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The radars mounted on the Chinese Zhurong rover detected during its mission 16 irregular wedges buried beneath a vast plain in the northern hemisphere of Mars.

A collaborative team led by researchers from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences identified polygonal wedges from radar data at a depth of 35 meters within the rover’s route of approximately 1.2 kilometers, according to the study now published in the journal Nature Astronomy, informa Xinhua.

The study showed that the findings suggested a wide distribution of such terrain beneath Utopia Planitia, the largest basin on Mars.

The researchers proposed that the polygons were potentially generated by freeze-thaw cycles.

For polygons with diameters of centimeters to tens of meters, the possible formation mechanisms may include shrinkage by dry wet sediments producing mud crackscontraction by cooled lava that produces columnar joints, faults that create a system of joints in the rock and thermal contraction cracks, according to the study.

Furthermore, the contrast above and below about 35 meters depth represented a notable transformation of water activity or thermal conditions in early Martian times, implying that there was climatic upheaval in low to mid latitudes.

The study also showed that drastic climate changes occurred possibly due to the high obliquity of ancient Mars.

The findings point to more evidence for understanding the Red Planet’s complex geological evolution and climate change.

The Chinese Tianwen-1 mission, consisting of an orbiter, a lander and a rover, was launched on July 23, 2020 and landed in the southern part of Utopia Planitia on May 15, 2021. He conducted scientific studies for more than a year before going silent.