The discovery was made while Curiosity was exploring the foothills of Mount Sharp, which was once home to lakes and streams. The rover climbed the mountain and allowed scientists to study how Mars evolved over time from a hot, more Earth-like planet with plenty of water to the freezing desert it is today.

Protruding rock textures formed billions of years ago when waves stirred up sediment in a shallow lake emerged in the Marker Strip, a thin layer of dark rock that stands out against the rest of Mount Sharp. Despite several attempts, the rover was unable to extract a sample from this solid rock layer.

Water marks on the slope of Mount Sharp / Photograph NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

However, scientists are eager to explore other places on Mars, including the Gediz Vallis valley, at the bottom of which there is a pile of rocks and rubble believed to have been swept away by wet landslides billions of years ago. The rover team hopes to take a closer look at this evidence of running water.

We’ve crawled through thousands of meters of lake sediment and have seen no such evidence – and now we’ve found it where we expected it to be dry.
said Ashwin Vasavada, a scientific employee of the Curiosity project.

Why is this an important discovery?

Evidence of ancient water waves in the Marker Strip area is the best evidence of water and waves the rover has seen during its entire mission. The discovery will help scientists understand how Mars evolved over time and whether it once supported life.

Learn more about Curiosity’s discovery: watch the video