We chose the Jezero crater as our landing site because orbital images showed a delta – clear evidence that it was once filled with water. The lake is a potentially habitable environment, and the rocks of the delta are an excellent environment for burying signs of ancient life in the form of fossils in the geological record. After careful research, we pieced together the history of the crater by charting the phases of development of the lake and river from beginning to end.
Ken Farley
Perseverance mission scientist from the California Institute of Technology (USA)
Scientists believe Lake Ezero was formed by an asteroid impact about 4 billion years ago. Water arrived hundreds of millions of years later. The lake appeared to be 35 kilometres wide and up to 30 metres deep.
