https://www.livescience.com/space/mars/nasa-rover-discovers-liquid-water-ripples-carved-into-mars-rock-and-it-could-rewrite-the-red-planets-history Skip to main content (*) ( ) Open menu Close menu Live Science [ ] Search Search Live Science [ ] Sign in * * View Profile * Sign out Subscribe RSS * * Space * Health * Planet Earth * Animals * Archaeology * Physics & Math * Human Behavior * Technology * Chemistry * More + Science news + Life's Little Mysteries + Science quizzes + About us + Newsletter + Follow us + Story archive How It Works Magazine How It Works Magazine Why subscribe? * The ultimate action-packed science and technology magazine bursting with exciting information about the universe * Subscribe today and save an extra 5% with checkout code 'LOVE5' * Engaging articles, amazing illustrations & exclusive interviews * Issues delivered straight to your door or device From$26.49 View Trending * Asteroid hitting Earth threat changes * AI-designed computer chips * Polar vortex * 'Human calculator' breaks record * Earth from space 1. Space 2. Astronomy 3. Planets 4. Mars NASA rover discovers liquid water 'ripples' carved into Mars rock -- and it could rewrite the Red Planet's history News By Joanna Thompson published 17 February 2025 NASA's Curiosity rover photographed remnants of rippling waves in an ancient Martian lakebed, proving that the Red Planet had open water for longer in its history than previously thought. * * * * * * * Comments ( 0 ) () When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's how it works. Photos of "ripples" on the surface of Mars NASA's Mars Curiosity rover discovered symmetric ripple marks at two separate spots within the Red Planet's Gale Crater -- offering strong evidence that Mars was flowed with open, liquid water. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS) Scientists have discovered evidence that liquid water was once exposed to the air in ancient, shallow lakes on Mars. The finding is evidence that not all water on the Red Planet was covered in ice, as some Martian climate models suggest. Planetary geologists and astronomers studying Mars have known for decades that water was once likely present on the planet, after NASA 's Mariner 9 mission captured images of dry gullies in the 1970s. But there has been ongoing debate about what form that water took and how long it lasted. Some models predict that any liquid water on Mars' surface must have been covered by sheets of ice before it disappeared. However, the new findings, which were published Jan. 15 in the journal Science Advances,, tell a different story. The patterns, which were photographed by NASA's Curiosity rover, are known as wave ripples -- minute ridge-like structures that form along the shores of lakebeds. This means that exposed liquid water must have flowed across Mars' surface at some point in its history. The ripples were present in two separate lakebeds in Gale Crater, which Curiosity has been exploring since Aug. 2012. "The shape of the ripples could only have been formed under water that was open to the atmosphere and acted upon by wind," study first author Claire Mondro, a sedimentologist at CalTech, said in a statement. Related: 32 things on Mars that look like they shouldn't be there Hope for life? The researchers also analyzed the height and spacing of the ripple waves to determine the size of the lake that formed them. The structures are approximately 0.2 inches (6 millimeters) tall and about 1.6 to 2 inches (4 to 5 centimeters) apart, indicating they were left by small waves. Based on these dimensions, the researchers believe the Martian lake must have been less than 2 meters (6.5 feet) deep. Photos of "ripples" on the surface of Mars (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS) RELATED STORIES --New NASA images reveal giant hole in Curiosity rover's wheel after 12 years of 'abuse' on Mars --Giant 'kidney beans' spotted in Mars satellite images could point to signs of water and life --Space photo of the week: Dry ice 'geysers' erupt on Mars as spring hits the Red Planet Both dry lakebeds appear to have formed around 3.7 billion years ago, indicating that Mars had an atmosphere dense and warm enough to support liquid water for longer than previously thought -- which could have intriguing implications. "Extending the length of time that liquid water was present extends the possibilities for microbial habitability later into Mars's history," Mondro said. In other words: living organisms may have had a longer window in which they could have evolved on the Red Planet. Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now Get the world's most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox. [ ][ ]Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands[ ]Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors[Sign me up] By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. Most of Mars' atmosphere and surface water were later stripped away over billions of years. Scientists believe this occurred because the planet lost its magnetic field, leaving it vulnerable to solar radiation. As the powerful solar wind bombarded the Martian atmosphere, most of the planet's carbon dioxide and water evaporated into space, leaving behind the frigid desert we know today. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Mars quiz: Is your knowledge of the Red Planet out of this world? TOPICS water Life on Mars Joanna Thompson Joanna Thompson Social Links Navigation Live Science Contributor Joanna Thompson is a science journalist and runner based in New York. She holds a B.S. in Zoology and a B.A. in Creative Writing from North Carolina State University, as well as a Master's in Science Journalism from NYU's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program. Find more of her work in Scientific American, The Daily Beast, Atlas Obscura or Audubon Magazine. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Logout More about mars An aerial photo showing gray and black clouds of dust over the surface of Mars Space photo of the week: Dry ice 'geysers' erupt on Mars as spring hits the Red Planet Illustration of a satellite in front of Mars. Mars quiz: Is your knowledge of the Red Planet out of this world? Latest An illustration of an asteroid near Earth. 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