China's historic move on Mars: AI will map the Red Planet

China is preparing a comprehensive mapping project to more thoroughly reveal Mars' geological structure. Within the study, scheduled for completion by the end of 2028, the water movements and geological periods in the Red Planet's past will be examined using AI-supported methods.

The project's lead scientist and member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hou Zengqian, outlined the details of the planned study at a symposium held at the Institute of Geology under the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences.

Shedding Light on Mars' Water History

Data obtained from China's Zhurong rover, sent to Mars as part of the Tianwen-1 mission, will play a key role in preparing the new map.

The findings obtained by Zhurong upon reaching the Martian surface in 2021 revealed new clues about the Red Planet's past. These data suggest that there may have been a vast ancient ocean on Mars about 3.5 billion years ago, and that brief floods could have occurred roughly 1.6 billion years ago.

These findings will be used in studies of how Mars' past climate changed and will be incorporated into the new geological map.

China Proposes a New Geological Time System for Mars

One of the project's notable goals is to create a China-specific new system to classify Mars's geological history.

Mars's current geological time scale is divided into three main periods: Noachian, Hesperian, and Amazonian. In this classification, the density of observed craters is used as one of the primary criteria.

Chinese scientists aim for the new system they are developing to gain international acceptance.

Data from Different Countries Will Be Combined

The mapping effort will not be limited to data from China's Mars missions. In addition to Tianwen-1 data, information from Mars studies by the United States and the European Space Agency will also be incorporated into the project.

Images, spectra, radar, gravity, and magnetic field measurements collected from orbit and the Martian surface will be combined to create a global database covering the planet's various physical characteristics.

Artificial Intelligence Will Be at the Center of Mapping

One of the project's most important elements will be artificial intelligence. AI models will be employed to analyze data coming from a wide range of sources.

The expertise of geologists will also be integrated into the systems to enhance the interpretability of the results. With the multi‑scale analysis techniques to be used, researchers are expected to be able to examine details ranging from minerals in a region to Mars’s global‑scale tectonic structures.

Detailed Maps Will Be Prepared by 2028

Under the project, a 1:5.000.000‑scale geological map of Mars is slated to be produced by the end of 2028. In addition, a more detailed 1:50.000‑scale map of one of the landing sites on Mars and various thematic atlases are planned.

China also aims to publish the world's first "smart Mars geology map" at the conclusion of the study.

Researchers assess that the method developed for Mars could later serve as a model for geological mapping of the Moon, Venus, and asteroids.

Studies extend from the Moon to Mars.

Yang Zhiming, director of the Institute of Geology at the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, said that geological mapping is one of the core studies the institution has been conducting for about 70 years.

Yang noted that the studies have expanded over time from regional and national maps to lunar research, and from there to the examination of Mars's geological structure. These studies aim to provide the scientific foundation for which regions and topics China will investigate in planetary research.