Recently, China's Zhurong rover has found evidence of major floods came billions of years ago, in the study of underground layers on Mars. The rover has studied its landing site Utopia Planitia, the vast plains in the northern hemisphere of Mars.
These are the first results from the rover's radar imager. Radio waves from radar bounce off underground material to reveal its smaller size and ability to hold an electric charge. Strong signs usually point to large objects.
The radar found no evidence of liquid water up to 80 m, but it did detect two horizontal layers with a unique pattern. The reflection signal was found to be stronger with increasing depth in the layer 10 to 30 m deep. The older, thicker layer 30 to 80 m below showed a similar pattern. The older layers (30 and 80 m) are probably the result of rapid flooding, indicating the presence of sediments in the region due to the great water activity on Mars, three billion years ago.
Zhurong Rover
Named after the Chinese mythological god of fire, Zhurong is China's first Mars rover to be carried by China's Tianwen-1 spacecraft in 2021.
During the mission, Zhurong will explore the vast basin of Utopia Planitia on Mars' northern hemisphere, which was likely formed by impacts early in the planet's history.
Weighing around 240 kg, the 'Zhurong' rover is heavier than NASA's Spirit and Opportunity rovers, but only one-fourth of the weight of Perseverance and Curiosity (NASA).
