US EditionScientists discover caves carved by water on Mars that may have once harbored life
Eight mapped pits in Hebrus Valles may be karstic caves formed by water dissolving carbonate- and sulfate-rich rocks, offering potential shelters for past Martian life.
- On November 12, 2025, researchers reported new evidence of past subsurface water on Mars from Hebrus Valles pits and Gale Crater sediments, suggesting environments that could have supported life.
- Using spectrometer data, researchers found Thermal Emission Spectrometer on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows carbonate- and sulfate-rich rocks around Hebrus Valles pits, while high-resolution orbital imagery and 3D structural models reveal pit shapes from dissolution collapse and ancient stream channels near skylights.
- Earth karst analogues suggest Curiosity rover data compared with UAE desert analogs show gypsum and other sulfate minerals in lithified dunes that can trap organics, while Hebrus pits as circular depressions lack raised rims or ejecta.
- Scientists recommend the eight skylights as high-priority targets for future robotic or human missions since caves and groundwater-altered deposits could preserve traces of past life and organics.
- The authors argue these skylights represent a new karstic cave class distinct from volcanic and tectonic types, while scientists caution volcanic origins; Dimitra Atri said, `Our findings show that Mars didn't simply go from wet to dry`.
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14 Articles
A team of scientists from the University of New York at Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) discovered new evidence that groundwater flowed on Mars billions of years ago, suggesting that the red planet may have been habitable for longer than was believed.
These Martian Caves Might Point to Life
Conditions on Mars make it pretty inhospitable to life. Temperatures can dip below minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit, high-energy UV radiation buffets the planet, and “dust devils” can strafe the surface with 99 mile per hour winds. So if creatures of some sort live on the Red Planet, or have ever lived there, they’d be better off sheltering in caves. Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now . Now, scientists in China and Ita…
Caves have been discovered where aliens can live.
Scientists Find Caves on Mars Carved by Water That May Have Supported Life
A broad view of Mars’s atmosphere. Credit: Andrea Luck / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0 A group of researchers has identified what could be the first water-carved caves on Mars, raising new possibilities in the search for signs of past life. These formations, located in the planet’s northwestern region of Hebrus Valles, suggest that liquid water once shaped the Martian crust. If life ever existed on Mars, scientists say it may have taken refuge i…
Scientists discover caves carved by water on Mars that may have once harbored life
If there is, or ever has been, life on Mars, the chances are it would exist in caves protected from the severe dust storms, extreme temperatures, and high radiation present on its surface. One place to focus our attention could be eight possible cave sites (called skylights) recently discovered by Chenyu Ding at Shenzhen University in China, and colleagues.
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