– The European Space Agency’s Mars Express orbiter recently captured new detailed images of a region on Mars called Caralis Chaos.
– Scientists believe this area was once home to an ancient lake called Lake Eridania, which would have been over 1 million square kilometers in size – larger than any current lake on Earth.
– The lake existed around 3.7 billion years ago but eventually dried up as Mars lost its atmosphere and surface water evaporated into space.
– Mars Express images show the remnants of the massive lakebed, now dry and filled with small hills and ridges formed by winds over time.
– Features in the imaging provide evidence water was present, such as material flowing away from an impact crater.
– The images also show faults and “wrinkle ridges” caused by volcanic activity in the surrounding Tharsis region long ago.
– The new high-resolution views provide more clues about the wetter early history of Mars and the presence of a giant lake that filled the area now called Caralis Chaos over 3 billion years ago.
Source: Space
