NASA rover finds evidence of ancient beach on Mars
NASA's Perseverance rover just confirmed there was an ancient beach on Mars, formed around 3.5 billion years ago.
An Imperial College London-led team used Perseverance observations and geological analyzes to study the "Margin unit" rocks—one side shaped by lava and underground water, the other by waves strong enough to round off sand grains.
Beach rocks could help scientists understand early Mars
This old Martian beach appears to have formed during a period of calmer lake conditions and is associated with a river delta, meaning Mars might have been habitable for longer than we thought.
Some of these rocks were changed in ways similar to places on Earth where microbes live today.
Now, samples are being cached on Mars for possible future return to Earth, and rocks like "Bunsen Peak" (from which a sample named "Comet Geyser," Sample 24, was taken) could help researchers hunt for signs of past life.