A recent study led by Adam Losekoot, a Ph.D. student at the Open University, reveals that Mars may have been wetter than scientists previously thought. The Royal Astronomical Society’s National Astronomy Meeting 2025 in Durham will be host to the full presentation of this pioneering research. The results from Noachis Terra, a mostly mysterious region on Mars, are extraordinary. They hold extraordinary potential to revolutionize our understanding of the earth’s ancient climate and geologic history.
Noachis Terra is largely devoid of such valley networks. At a glance, these deep valleys seem like perfect candidates to study the past conditions of rainfall and runoff on Mars. Though devoid of the myriad of features we once considered essential, the region has stood the test of time for over three billion years. To Losekoot, Noachis Terra was like a “time capsule“—it allows scientists to preserve and study critical geological processes that happened eons ago.
The research team utilized advanced datasets to map the locations, lengths, and morphologies of fluvial sinuous ridges (FSRs) across a vast area of Mars. These ridges sharply stand out compared to the surrounding landscape. They extend for hundreds of kilometers and rise over ten meters in height. The occurrence of FSRs across Noachis Terra provides evidence that abundant, flowing water once flowed freely across this region of Mars. This evidence runs counter to the prevailing theories that paint the planet as a largely cold and dry world.
Losekoot emphasized that precipitation is the most likely source of the water that formed these ridges, indicating a more dynamic and wetter environment in Mars’ ancient past. The application of this research has implications that extend beyond Noachis Terra. In each of these cases, scientists have found parallel ridges in various Martian terrains, inferring that flowing water played a major role in sculpting Mars’ surface.
These results highlight the exciting potential of investigating more obscure areas such as Noachis Terra. By exploring areas that have been overlooked in previous research, scientists can gain new insights into Mars’ geological history and potential for past habitability.