Perseverance previously scanned Jezero Crater on Mars with radar. According to data analysis, they are sedimentary rocks that were transported there by water.

The Perseverance spacecraft landed on the surface of the red planet in 2021. Its purpose is to search for traces of life on the neighboring planet. To this end, the spacecraft used radar to examine Jezero Crater and the nearby delta, as sedimentary deposits were hypothesized to be present in the area. Perseverance's RIMFAX instrument can penetrate up to 20 meters below the surface, notes Interesting geometry.

The assumption has been confirmed by Advancement of science A publication published in the scientific journal, which states that Mars may once have been home to a huge amount of water in the region.

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The water carried sediment to the area and was deposited there, meaning that the supposed delta actually belonged to a river that flowed into the lake at Jezero Crater.

The study was conducted by scientists from the University of California and the University of Oslo. According to their calculations, the sediments may be about 3 billion years old, and may contain traces of the origin and development of Martian life. Exact information will be available after NASA returns samples taken by the Mars rover to Earth. If successful, it will be the biggest scientific achievement in NASA's history.

The study also explains why Perseverance found volcanic rocks in its first drills. According to them, the base of the crater is of volcanic origin and was later covered by sediments carried by the water. However, this has eroded over time, so the volcanic bed is once again exposed.

The current study also suggests that there may be no better place to look for life on Mars than where Perseverance arrived.

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