Post by Los Alamos National Laboratory

Were there lakes on Mars? Los Alamos scientists say yes. A team using the ChemCam instrument on NASA’s Curiosity rover found the highest levels of iron, manganese and zinc detected together in Gale Crater. The discovery suggests a shallow lake once existed there. “The metals were found in preserved ripples, which is the clearest evidence we have that a lake was present in Gale Crater,” said Patrick Gasda, a ChemCam science team member and research scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory. “Ancient Mars was much wetter, and lakes in craters were common. As Mars became drier and colder, lakes formed less often and were short-lived.” Read the full report: https://ow.ly/bqHU50YO4kb 📸 NASA/JPL-Caltech