Researchers from New York University Abu Dhabi have uncovered evidence that water flowed beneath Mars' surface billions of years ago, potentially sustaining habitable conditions longer than previously thought. Analysis of ancient sand dunes in Gale Crater, studied by NASA's Curiosity rover, shows minerals left by groundwater. These findings suggest subsurface environments could have protected microbial life after surface water vanished.
Researchers at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) analyzed data from NASA's Curiosity rover in Gale Crater, revealing that ancient sand dunes interacted with groundwater billions of years ago. The dunes gradually hardened into rock as water seeped through tiny fractures from a nearby Martian mountain, depositing minerals such as gypsum. This process mirrors formations observed in the deserts of the United Arab Emirates on Earth, used for comparison in the study led by Dimitra Atri, principal investigator of NYUAD's Space Exploration Laboratory, and research assistant Vignesh Krishnamoorthy, with contributions from James Weston and Panče Naumov's research group at NYUAD's Core Technology Platform and Center for Astrophysics and Space Science. The findings were published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets (2025; 130 (11)), titled 'Aeolian Sediment Lithification From Late‐Stage Aqueous Activity in the Gale Crater: Implications for Habitability on Mars,' with DOI: 10.1029/2024JE008804. Authors include Vigneshwaran Krishnamoorthi, Dimitra Atri, James Weston, Marieh B. Al‐Handawi, and Panče Naumov. Atri stated, 'Our findings show that Mars didn't simply go from wet to dry. Even after its lakes and rivers disappeared, small amounts of water continued to move underground, creating protected environments that could have supported microscopic life.' These mineral deposits, capable of preserving organic material, are seen as promising targets for future missions seeking signs of past life on Mars. The work was supported by the NYUAD Research Institute and highlights underground habitats as key areas for exploration amid the United Arab Emirates' growing role in space science.