The evidence comes from data collected by China’s Zhurong Mars rover, which landed in the Utopia Planitia region of Mars in 2021. Unlike other rovers traversing the planet, Zhurong arrived with high- and low-frequency radar systems that allow it to conduct ground-penetrating scans of the Martian subsurface.

Mars – dusty, dry, and desert-clad – was once so rich in water it had not just lakes, but oceans, according to a new study. Observations using ground-penetrating radar have revealed underground features consistent with beaches on the red planet,