Something erased evidence of life on Mars, if there was life on Mars - SYFY WIRE

NASA’s Curiosity rover got really curious when it observed some areas of Gale Crater.

Lakes that have long since dried out first formed in the crater around 3.5 billion years ago.

Previous observations beamed back by spacecraft had already revealed that layers of rock with high levels of magnesium sulfates eventually covered up the original deposits in those lakes.

The presence of these highly soluble sulfates, gave away that most of the lake water in that part of Gale Crater had evaporated as the Martian climate, thought to have once been habitable, dried up.

Ancient layers of rock in Gale Crater.

“Because of this, minerals are essential recorders of what conditions were like on Mars billions of years in the past.”.

Even if there was freshwater life that perished when the lakes of Mars evaporated, other things may have taken over.

Curiosity is now climbing Mount Sharp, also formed by layers of sediment, to investigate the younger layers.