Martian River Delta
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Of microbes and Mars
Though this crater lake is among the deepest in Türkiye, its crystal shallows are the main draw for most. Lake Salda's wide white-sand beaches are havens for swimmers and sunbathers—and have even caught the attention of NASA scientists. Much of the mineral-rich shore is encrusted with microbialites: fossilized microbe mats that represent some of Earth's earliest known life. Before the Perseverance rover was sent to Mars in 2020 to explore the Jezero Crater—once also a crater lake—researchers studied Salda's microbialites to better understand the shapes that extinct microscopic Martians might've taken.
Color-splashed coastal path with red and white lighthouse and sea ice
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Braided River Delta Reservoir
Abstract Watercolor River Delta
Turquoise Braided Tidal Bay
Streaks of sargassum in turquoise water
Blue white salt desert hills
