Mawrth Vallis Valley In Mars: Home To Ancient Martians?

The European Space Agency (ESA) has recently revealed a photo of the Mawrth Vallis Region, an incredible swirling valley on Mars. The area could one day be the possible site for landing the ExoMars 2020, and according to ESA, it is an area that could also "harbor hints of past life" on the Red Planet.

Bird’s eye view from @esa’s Mars Express of remarkable Mawrth Vallis,which could harbour hints of past life on #Mars https://t.co/m0ato1oIA0 pic.twitter.com/8bkC1nylYG

— ESA Science (@esascience) September 26, 2016

The Mars Express spacecraft captured a bird's-eye view image that shows more than 205,000 square miles surrounding Mawrth Vallis, an area whose surface was shaped by the carving effect of water. One of the largest valleys on the Martian surface, the region could have been habitable up to 3.6 billion years ago, as per researchers.

The light toned structures seen on Mawrth Vallis are weathered clay minerals which show that liquid water was once present here. As per ESA, the traces of ancient Martians, albeit in microbe form, may be protected by volcanic ash remains in the form of a dark cap rock. Needless to say, the valley has intrigued scientists for years.

Earlier in September, it was revealed that networks of streams and lakes had covered Mars for an approximate billion years longer than what was generally believed by scientists, based on their study of 22 impact craters on the planet. The new findings indicate that Mars had the potential to host life for a billion years longer.

Furthermore, one of the lakes in the area was similar to California's Lake Tahoe in terms of the volume of water it held. The lake carried water to an enormous water filled basin, named the Heart Lake. The network of valleys and lakes in the Heart Lake system held up to about 670 cubic miles of water, making its volume more than Lake Ontario. According to Rich Zurek, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) scientist, one of the main aims for exploring Mars is to understand the time and the region where liquid water was present in adequate volume to change the Martian surface and perhaps provide an environment favorable for supporting life.