Overview
- Researchers interpret the underground delta to date to roughly 3.7–4.2 billion years ago, older than the visible Western Delta by hundreds of millions of years.
- RIMFAX identified layered sediments, channels and erosional surfaces beneath a magnesium‑carbonate–rich Margin unit, pointing to multiple distinct episodes of fluvial deposition.
- The result extends the inferred window of surface water and boosts prospects for biosignature preservation, though it does not constitute evidence of past life.
- The analysis spans 3.8 miles (6.1 km) of the rover’s path using data collected from September 2023 to February 2024, with Perseverance now operating beyond the delta region.
- The Norwegian‑built radar, operated by teams at the University of Oslo and UCLA, underpins the Science Advances paper and demonstrates the power of ground‑penetrating radar for Martian geology.