The secrets of the planet's past may be revealed through new photos of its ancient waterways.
The minerals in the formerly water-rich Holden Basin may have once supported life.
Impressive pictures of the Holden Basin on Mars were taken by the European Space Agency's Mars Express probe. This region is important for the ongoing hunt for life on the Red Planet. The pictures and additional research into the area may show how water formerly moved across Mars' surface.
The High-Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on Mars Express obtained this close-up view of the Holden Basin on April 24, 2022. It reveals the geological features of the former water reservoir close to the Holden Crater, which is almost 95 miles (150 kilometers) wide.
The Uzi-Ladon-Morava (ULM) outflow system on Mars' southern hemisphere comprises several channels and sinks, including the Holden Basin. Because researchers believe this system formerly drained as much as 9% of the water on Mars, it has become a crucial target for Mars orbiters like Mars Express.
Liquid water would have flowed via channels that drain into the Argyre Planitia before Mars lost its water around 4 billion years ago, probably due to the Martian atmosphere being stripped by strong solar radiation, which caused water vapor to "leak" into space.
Water would have flowed past the region currently designated by the Holden Crater — which was constructed later in the planet's history — via the valley known as the "Uzboi Vallis," which is 1,100 miles wide (1,770 km) and descends as deep as 3.2 miles (5.2 km).
Then, after gathering in the Holden Basin, water would have flowed via the Ladon Valles, an ancient series of river valleys that leads to the 274 miles (440 km) wide Ladon Basin.
A significant crater can be seen in the new image to the south of the basin, and the basin's walls have a gentle incline that descends to a depth of about 5,000 feet (about 1,500 meters) below the surrounding Martian surface.
Where water would have flowed from this reservoir to the Ladon Valles is visible on the northeastern border of the Holden Basin. The image shows scarring and uneven topography that was probably produced by melting water ice beneath the Martian surface.
There is a prospect of life wherever there is water.
According to experience with our planet, the European Space Agency (ESA) stated in a statement(opens in new tab) that water and life are inextricably linked. Scientists are eager to find out if Mars experienced the same situation billions of years ago.
The phyllosilicate mineral, which contains clays produced by the interaction of rock and water, is present in Ladon Valles and Holden Basin soils. These clays have been associated with the beginnings of life on Earth. These areas contain phyllosilicates in layered deposits that would have served as a reaction hub for the organic compounds that made up terrestrial life. Scientists are quite interested in the area because of this.
When debris ejected by the impact fell back to the planet's surface and filled the older Holden Basin, which had been created by an earlier impact in the planet's history, Holden Crater most likely developed as a result of an ancient asteroid hit.
Scientists assume that the Holden Crater must have originated after the ULM system dried up since it lacks any indication that water ever flowed through it.
The Holden Crater was considered a prospective landing location for the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers due to its geological significance and potential to contain signs of ancient life. However, Gale Crater and Jezero Crater ultimately won out.
The region is currently being thoroughly examined by Mars Express, mapping the Martian surface and atmosphere from the planet's orbit since 2003.
In earlier photos of the Holden Basin, Martian winds had created ridges and grooves, ancient rivers, impact craters, lava lakes, and volcanoes.
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