The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Perseverance rover on Mars has detected signs of tropical rain on the Red Planet.
The rover discovered bizarre “bleached” rocks, indicating the planet was hot and wet for millions of years, according to the photo analysis, conducted by researchers at Purdue University in Indiana.
Many argue that it is one of the biggest pieces of evidence of once life-supporting conditions on Mars.
A professor of planetary science at Purdue University, Briony Horgan, said: “Rocks are evidence of the ancient warmer and wetter climate.”
Experts say it offers an opportunity to study how Mars ended up in its current barren state when it once received rain similar to tropical regions on Earth, such as the Amazon rainforest.
The analysis of the fragments on rocks revealed that they were made of kaolinite, a mineral that normally forms in tropical conditions, confirming the heavy rainfall that the Red Planet once received.
Professor Horgan said: “This is truly incredible. It indicates a potentially habitable environment where life could once have thrived.”
The new study, published in the journal Communication Earth and environmentstated that there is no evidence that the stones originate from or have been transported from elsewhere.
