Water persisted in Mars’ Gale crater for longer than previously thought

Curiosity's selfie. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS) - Imperial College London and NASA researchers have found signs that water was plentiful in Mars' Gale crater for longer than previously thought. Billions of years ago, Mars was home to abundant water, and its Gale crater contained a lake. Gradually, the climate changed, drying the Red Planet and creating the dusty desert world we know today. Now, an international team of researchers led by Imperial has found signs that water was abundant in Mars' Gale crater - a 154km-diameter basin just south of the equator - long after the planet was thought to have become dry and inhospitable. The findings have implications for our understanding of Mars' changing climate, as well as where we now look for signs of habitability. What's clear is that behind each of these potential ways to deform this sandstone, water is the common link. Dr Steven Banham Department of Earth Science and Engineering - Using data and images from NASA 's Curiosity rover , the researchers found clues: deformed layers within a desert sandstone that, they argue, could only have been formed by water. While they agree that water was present, they are uncertain whether it existed as a pressurised liquid, ice, or brine. Lead author Dr Steven Banham , of Imperial College London's Department of Earth Science and Engineering , said: "The sandstone revealed that water was probably abundant more recently, and for longer, than previously thought - but by which process did the water leave these clues?