NASA’s rover made the groundbreaking discovery at a dig site in an ancient lakebed known as Gale Crater. NASA’s Curiosity is currently exploring the peak of Mount Sharp – an imposing mountain rising out from the centre of Gale Crater. This region of Mars is of incredible importance to NASA because it may have had the right conditions to support alien life billions of years ago. And if the new discovery proves anything, is that Mars once resembled the Earth much more than it does today.
NASA said in a statement: “NASA has confirmed that the region on Mars it’s exploring, called the ‘clay-bearing unit’, is well deserving of its name.
“Two samples the rover recently drilled at rock targets called ‘Aberlady’ and ‘Kilmarie’ have revealed the highest amounts of clay minerals ever found during the mission.
“Both drill targets appear in a new selfie taken by the rover on May 12, 2019, the 2,405th Martian day, or sol, of the mission.
“This clay-enriched region, located on the side of lower Mount Sharp, stood out to NASA orbiters before curiosity landed in 2012.”
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The discovery of clay on Mars is promising for the hunt for life because water – a crucial building block of life – plays a role in the formation of clay.
On Earth, clay is typically found in wet areas near rivers and rays and is often built from organic materials found in soils.
According to NASA, the rocks in Gale Crater are likely the leftover remains of layers upon layers of ancient mud in Martian lakes.
NASA said: “Water interacted with sediment over time, leaving an abundance of clay in the rocks there.”
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But what does all of this mean for the hopes of discovering life on Mars?
NASA said: “Other than proof that there was a significant amount of water once in Gale Crater, what these new findings mean for the region is still up for debate.”
Mars in its current condition is an incredibly cold planet with a very humid atmosphere but no signs of liquid water on the surface.
In the past, however, scientists believe Mars was hot and humid with vast oceans covering the now dusty Red Planet.
Under such conditions, the likelihood of basic microbial life forming is incredibly optimistic.
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NASA said: “Even if there were no life on Mars, it would be exciting to know whether there used to be life there.
“So in addition to looking for living bacteria, NASA will be searching for tiny fossils that might indicate life got a start early in Mars’ history but, unlike on our home planet, it did not survive and evolve into larger life forms.
“Many of the studies of Mars will involve robots, like the ones that have gone there before, but getting more advanced with each flight.
“Someday a spacecraft may pick up samples from Mars and bring them back to Earth where they can be studied in our best laboratories.”
