Scientists just mapped 16 ancient river basins on Mars

Technology Dec 11, 2025

Scientists have uncovered 16 massive river basins on Mars, showing the planet once had huge waterways that covered nearly 5% of its surface and moved almost half its river sediment billions of years ago.

How did they figure this out?

By digging into decades of data from NASA's Mars Odyssey and other orbiters, researchers traced valleys and canyons forming drainage networks comparable in minimum size to those used to define large river basins on Earth.
One basin alone handled about 15% of all Martian sediment moved by rivers.

Why does this matter for life on Mars?

These mega-basins likely created long-lasting watery environments—just like places on Earth where life thrives.
That makes them prime spots for future missions hoping to find signs of ancient Martian microbes tucked away in old sediments.