NASA’s Curiosity Rover Detects a Fractured Mud Set-Up in Old Soaker, Hints Presence of Water on Mars

NASA’s Curiosity Rover, which is orbiting Mars since 2012 has recently stumbled upon some enchanting elements on the Martian Surface. The rover, while taking a close flyby to Mars, has found a set-up of cracked mud, which is hinting towards the presence of water on the Red Planet. NASA has released a set of latest images of the Martian Surface, clicked by Curiosity Rover, which suggests the existence of a network of fractures in the Martian rock wedge, called ‘Old Soaker’. These cracks seem to like to be made of mud. The scientists of NASA are estimating this cracked layer to be configured from the ventilation of a mud coating, which dates back more than 3 billion years.

In recent weeks, scientists of NASA brought Curiosity rover into play for examining the slabs of Martian rocks, cross-hatched with thin creases which are likely to be formed as a result of drying mud. After witnessing the possible mud cracks, scientists are now expecting the presence of water of the Martian Surface. If the analysis comes up with a positive result; then these would be the first-ever mud cracks, found on the Red Planet. The Mud Cracks of Mars which are scientifically called ‘desiccation cracks’, for the first time will be confirmed under NASA’s Curiosity Mission.

The confirmation of desiccation cracks will be the very first evidence of the Marian ancient epoch when these cracks are believed to be deposited. It also might pave the path for the confirmation about the presence of water on Mars, which is still a matter of question. If the examined samples are found to be cracked mud, then the possibilities of water conditions on Mars will be authenticated, said one of NASA’s official.

Splitting light on this matter, Nathan Stein, the lead investigator of the Curiosity science team member and also a graduate student at Caltech in Pasadena, California said, “After examining the images beamed back by Curiosity Rover, we found the mud cracks to be the most obvious scenario here. Even from a significant distance, we can clearly see a prototype of four to five sided polygons which are much dissimilar with the fractures we previously have seen with Curiosity.”

In addition to the cracked mud layer, Curiosity also has detected the proof of some ancient lakes previously, along with the lower-residing stone layers and a younger mudstone that is placed over the Old Soaker.