A screen broadcasts a CCTV state media news bulletin, showing an image of Mars taken by Chinese Mars rover Zhurong as part of the Tianwen-1 mission, in Beijing, China, May 19, 2021. REUTERS\/Thomas Peter\/File Photo\/File Photo<\/p>\n
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BEIJING, May 12 (Reuters) - Hydrated minerals discovered by China's robotic rover on Mars in a vast basin believed to be the site of an ancient ocean suggest water was present on the planet's surface for longer than previously thought, said Chinese scientists.<\/p>\n
According to an analysis of data sent back by the rover, Zhurong, signs of water were detected in sampled minerals from just 700 million years ago, the scientists said in a paper published on Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.<\/p>\n
Mars is believed to have been wet until about 3 billion years ago, when the planet's second geological age, known as the Hesperian Epoch, ended. In the current Amazonian period, there is no surface water.<\/p>\n
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The soil containing the minerals Zhurong sampled had a hard crust that could have been formed by rising ground water or melted ice that had since evaporated, the Chinese scientists wrote.<\/p>\n
The Chinese rover has been exploring the vast plain of Utopia Planitia since its landing on the planet in May last year. Zhurong has travelled about 2 kilometres from its landing site as it gathers data on the terrain. read more <\/p>\n
In recent years, data from an orbiting probe operated by the European Space Agency had discovered water under the ice of the planet's south pole.<\/p>\n
Almost all of the water on Mars is locked in its polar ice caps, with very small traces in the planet's thin atmosphere.<\/p>\n
Locating subsurface water is key to determining the planet's potential for life, as well as providing a permanent resource for any human exploration.<\/p>\n
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Reporting by Ryan Woo. Editing by Gerry Doyle<\/p>\n
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.<\/p>\n
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Chinese findings on Mars suggest water existed for longer on planet's ...<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A screen broadcasts a CCTV state media news bulletin, showing an image of Mars taken by Chinese Mars rover Zhurong as part of the Tianwen-1 mission, in Beijing, China, May 19, 2021. REUTERS\/Thomas Peter\/File Photo\/File Photo Register BEIJING, May 12 (Reuters) - Hydrated minerals discovered by China's robotic rover on Mars in a vast basin believed to be the site of an ancient ocean suggest water was present on the planet's surface for longer than previously thought, said Chinese scientists. Continue reading