"Scientists have long suspected that Mars was once teeming with water, a tropical oasis with vast river systems that may have been able to support life billions of years ago. To get a better picture of what such a lush ocean world could've looked like, an international team of researchers used satellite data to simulate the sea level in a colossal geographic feature called Coprates Chasma, which is part of the Valles Marineris, the largest canyon in the entire solar system."
"As detailed in a study published in the journal NPJ Space Exploration, the team found geomorphologic structures in the vicinity of the Valles Marineris that closely resemble the mouth of a river where it flows into the ocean back on Earth. They then inferred a sea level at the time when this river was still flowing, determining it dates back to a time in the planet's history with the "largest availability of surface water on Mars.""
An international team simulated sea level in Coprates Chasma using satellite data to reconstruct Mars's ancient hydrology. High-resolution imagery revealed canyon structures resembling terrestrial river deltas and fan deltas at mountain edges, implying river mouths emptying into a standing body of water. The inferred sea level corresponds to a period around three billion years ago with maximal surface water availability. Data sources included ESA's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter and Mars Express and NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The geomorphologic resemblance to Earth's deltas supports the presence of extensive surface water and potential habitable conditions on ancient Mars.
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