China will complete a new-generation global geological map of Mars

Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and chief scientist of the Tianwen3 mission Hou Zengqian said on September 28 that the newgeneration full Mars geological map is expected to be completed by the end of 2028, and will propose a Chinese方案 for dividing Mars geological eras, helping relevant standards move toward global consensus. At a symposium on highquality development at the Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, he introduced that the Zhurong rover has brought back multiple new Martian geological discoveries, including the possibility that Mars had continentscale ancient oceans 3.5 billion years ago and that shortterm floods may have occurred 1.6 billion years ago. All of these findings will be incorporated into the compilation of the new map. According to the introduction, this series of成果 also includes a 1:50,000 geological map of the landing site and a specialized atlas, which will serve as important scientific preparation for the Tianwen3 mission and be released in the form of the world's first intelligent Martian geological map, providing reference for subsequent mapping of celestial bodies such as the Moon, Venus, and asteroids.