NASA's Perseverance Rover finds evidence of tropical rainfall on Mars

"Scientists at Purdue University in Indiana have analysed photos of fragments of bleached clay, found by NASA's Perseverance rover. The fragments - which range from pebbles to boulders - suggest the Red Planet was warm and wet for millions of years. In fact, Mars may have been like the tropical regions of Earth such as the Amazon rainforest of South America and the Guinean Forests of West Africa. And they offer further evidence that the planet once had the right conditions to support life."

"Briony Horgan, professor of planetary science at Purdue University, called the rocks 'probably some of the most important outcrops we've seen'. 'We think these [rocks] could be evidence of an ancient warmer and wetter climate where there was rain falling for millions of years,' she said. NASA missions have already found evidence that Mars was much wetter and warmer billions of years ago, so the bright fragments could offer insight into how Mars came to its current barren state."

Bleached clay fragments ranging from pebbles to boulders found at Jezero Crater are identified as kaolinite. SuperCam and Mastcam-Z imaging and comparisons to Earth kaolinite indicate formation by prolonged leaching under warm, wet, tropical conditions. Kaolinite forms after millions of years of rainfall that removes other minerals, implying prolonged humid climates on ancient Mars. These deposits suggest local oases with heavy rainfall and temperatures more Earth-like than present conditions. The presence of kaolinite provides further evidence that Mars had environments potentially suitable for life and helps constrain the planet's transition from a habitable past to its current arid state.

Read at Mail Online