NASA Reveals Ancient Winding River Traces on Mars

Another proof that there was once water on the planet.

The NASA eye in the Martian sky, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), has discovered traces of dried-up rivers on the Red Planet. There is no doubt that billions of years ago, water flowed in their place.

The gravel riverbed and fine-grained surrounding environment sometimes lead to a strange phenomenon that geologists call inverted channels, explained the space agency. After the river dries up, the fine-grained environment can wash away, leaving the gravel riverbed as a high ridge, which can be seen in the photo.

The spacecraft captured this image from an altitude of nearly 267 kilometers using HiRISE - one of the most powerful cameras ever sent to another planet.