The perfect place to find traces of life on Mars?

The NASA Mars Exploration Rover, Perseverance, has identified the perfect place to search for traces of microorganisms in what used to be lakes and river deltas in the crater of Mars.

The decisive thing is that Perseverance obtained an image of a rock called Kodiak located at the tip of the delta. This image shows that Mars has some of the best-preserved geological deposits. It also shows that there was a layer of boulders on a cliff to the northeast of here, and that there was a river.

It is believed that the Jeero crater lake was at a level that initially covered the eastern edge of the crater. Also, the water level of the lake was several tens of meters, but eventually it dried up completely. In the meantime, it can be confirmed from the acquired image that the water flow has changed with time in a much more complex way than previously thought.

The discovery could help researchers save valuable time when collecting samples that will someday be brought to Earth. It could also help improve our understanding of why Mars turned into dry land. Related information can be found here.