By Andy Corbley for www.GoodNewsNetwork.org – Feb 8, 2024
The picture above was taken not on Earth, but by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) as it searches for signs of water and ice on the Red Planet.
The MRO typically flies at an altitude of about 155 to 196 miles (250 to 316 kilometers) above the planet’s surface, allowing it to capture intricate details.
These ridges show the location of the old river beds in Mars’ distant past.
“River beds often get filled with gravel and the surrounding terrain is often built up of fine-grained mud from river overflows. The gravely river bottom and the fine-grained surroundings can lead to a strange phenomenon that geologists call inverted channels,” the space agency wrote.
“After the river disappears, the fine-grained surroundings can be easily eroded away leaving the gravely river bed as a high-standing ridge. The angle at which the ridges join together indicates that these rivers flowed from top-right to bottom-left.”