Data from Mars rover Zhurong shows evidence of wind, and possibly water, erosion

Bob Yirka is a writer for Phys.org.

A group of researchers from China, Canada, and Germany have found evidence of wind erosion and possibly impacts from water erosion in the data from the Chinese Mars rover. They discuss what they have found in their paper.

China has been on the surface of Mars since May of last year. Over the course of 60 Martian days, it has rolled 450 meters. The data from the rover was made public. The researchers are studying the data sent back to learn more about what they found.

There is a volcanic plain in the north of the planet. Some have suggested that the site was once covered in water. The part of the plain where Zhurong has been rolling along is very flat, with very few boulders, according to the data from the rover's cameras. The surface beneath the rover is covered with small, non-round rocks. The composition of the soil in the area is similar to that collected by rovers on other parts of the planet.

The small rocks have grooves on them that appear to be caused by wind erosion. Some of the rocks had evidence of water erosion and flakiness.

The researchers found evidence of mega-ripples on the surface, similar to sand dunes on Earth. The ripples looked like bright streaks when viewed from a craft. The ripples appear bright because they have been covered by a thin layer of dust. If that is the case, it would suggest that the wind that created the ripples was no longer present.

More information: L. Ding et al, Surface characteristics of the Zhurong Mars rover traverse at Utopia Planitia, Nature Geoscience (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41561-022-00905-6 Journal information: Nature Geoscience

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