UC DAVIS (US) — Rounded pebbles on the surface of Mars indicate that a stream once flowed on the red planet, according to a new study.
Rounded pebbles of this size are known to form only when transported through water over long distances. They were discovered between the north rim of the planet’s Gale Crater and the base of Mount Sharp, a mountain inside the crater.
The finding, published in Science, represents the first on-site evidence of sustained water flows on the Mars landscape, and supports prospects that the planet could once have been able to host life.