Scientists find evidence of ancient lake on Mars Layered rocks
on the floor of McLaughlin Crater on Mars show sedimentary rocks
that contain spectroscopic evidence for minerals formed through
interaction with water. Photo: Reuters/NASA A spacecraft
orbiting Mars has provided evidence of an ancient crater lake
fed by groundwater, adding further support to theories that the
Red Planet may once have hosted life, says NASA. Spectrometer
data from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows traces of
carbonate and clay minerals usually formed in the presence of
water at the bottom of the 2.2-kilometre-deep McLaughlin Crater.
"These new observations suggest the formation of the carbonates
and clay in a groundwater-fed lake within the closed basin of
the crater," NASA said of the findings, which were published in
the online edition of Nature Geoscience. The spot selected for
Curiosity's first drilling site. Photo: AP/NASA "Some
researchers propose the crater interior catching the water," the
space agency said, adding t