Previous missions “discovered ripples formed by water flowing across the surface of ancient Mars, but it was uncertain if that water ever pooled to form lakes or shallow seas,” Grotzinger ...

Recent research unveils compelling evidence of Martian wave ripples formed billions of years ago, offering clear signs of ancient shallow water bodies open to the planet’s atmosphere.

This led the researchers to deduce that the lake was shallow, at less than about 2 meters deep. The researchers assert that the ripples represent wind blowing on open water. Some studies in the past ...

In 2022, NASA's Curiosity Rover discovered two sets of wave ripples at the bottom of Gale Crater, suggesting the previous presence of shallow water that was open to the Martian atmosphere ...