Ancient crater lake discovered on Mars linked to planet's icy past: Researchers

An ancient crater lake in the southern highlands of Mars appears to have been created due to glacier runoff, claimed researchers on March 30 indicating that the Martian Planet could have a cold and icy past. The Researchers at Brown University said in a statement that they have discovered a never-known-before type of ancient crater lake on the Red planet that could give scientists insight into the mysterious past of the planet and its early climate. The latest study on Mars’ ancient crater has been published in Planetary Science Journal and is led by Brown University’s Ph.D. student Ben Boatwright.

Boatwright, in the study, explains the unnamed crater on Mars with some puzzling characteristics such as the crater’s floor being unmistakable geologic evidence of ancient stream beds and ponds. However, there is still no evidence, according to the researchers, about inlet channels where water could have entered the old depression or even evidence of groundwater activity. So the searchers have concluded that the water in the crater is likely fed by runoff from a long-lost Martian glacier.

This ancient crater is different from others

The Brown University researchers also noted that the ancient crater discovered by them is different from other such craters - Gale and Jezero where NASA rovers are presently exploring. “This is a previously unrecognized type of hydrological system on Mars,” Boatwright said. “In lake systems characterized so far, we see evidence of drainage coming from outside the crater, breaching the crater wall and in some cases flowing out the other side. But that’s not what is happening here. Everything is happening inside the crater, and that’s very different than what’s been characterized before.”

“The cold and icy scenario has been largely theoretical — something that arises from climate models,” Boatwright said. “But the evidence for glaciation we see here helps to bridge the gap between theory and observation. I think that’s really the big takeaway here.”

Boatwright worked with Jim Head, his advisor and a research professor at Brown to figure out how the water reached there.

“We have these models telling us that early Mars would have been cold and icy, and now we have some really compelling geological evidence to go with it,” Head said. “Not only that, but this crater provides the criteria we need to start looking for even more evidence to test this hypothesis, which is really exciting.”

Image credits: NASA