Study concludes that not all deltas identified on Mars are real

A study led by David Vaz (University of Coimbra) and Gaetano Di Achille of the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) presents new data in the context of the debate on the climatic, hydrogeological and astrobiological implications of deltaic deposits on Mars.

Over the past two decades, dozens of possible deltaic sedimentary deposits have been identified on the surface of Mars, the formation of which has been attributed to the existence of ancient Martian lakes and rivers. These sedimentary deposits are considered one of the most important pieces of evidence supporting the idea that Mars once had more favourable climate conditions that would have allowed the presence of liquid water on the planet.

However, the study, published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters, concludes that this is not the case, and that a large portion of the deposits previously identified on the Red Planet are not of deltaic origin (deltas are formed by the accumulation of sediments transported by rivers), contrary to what the scientific community has argued.

The article may be read at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012821X19307447?dgcid=author .

^{Translation by Diana Taborda}