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- Written by: NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
New images taken by NASA’s Perseverance rover may show signs of what was once a rollicking river on Mars, one that was deeper and faster-moving than scientists have ever seen evidence for in the past.
The river was part of a network of waterways that flowed into Jezero Crater, the area the rover has been exploring since landing more than two years ago.
Understanding these watery environments could help scientists in their efforts to seek out signs of ancient microbial life that may have been preserved in Martian rock.
Perseverance is exploring the top of a fan-shaped pile of sedimentary rock that stands 820 feet (250 meters) tall and features curving layers suggestive of flowing water. One question scientists want to answer is whether that water flowed in relatively shallow streams – closer to what NASA’s Curiosity rover has found evidence of in Gale Crater – or a more powerful river system.
Stitched together from hundreds of images captured by Perseverance’s Mastcam-Z instrument, two new mosaics suggest the latter, revealing important clues: coarse sediment grains and cobbles.
“Those indicate a high-energy river that’s truckin’ and carrying a lot of debris. The more powerful the flow of water, the more easily it’s able to move larger pieces of material,” said Libby Ives, a postdoctoral researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which operates the Perseverance rover. With a background in studying Earth-based rivers, Ives has spent the last six months analyzing images of the Red Planet’s surface. “It’s been a delight to look at rocks on another planet and see processes that are so familiar,” Ives said.
Following the curves
Years ago, scientists noticed a series of curving bands of layered rock within Jezero Crater that they dubbed “the curvilinear unit.” They could see these layers from space but are finally able to see them up close, thanks to Perseverance.
One location within the curvilinear unit, nicknamed “Skrinkle Haven,” is captured in one of the new Mastcam-Z mosaics. Scientists are sure the curved layers here were formed by powerfully flowing water, but Mastcam-Z’s detailed shots have left them debating what kind: a river such as the Mississippi, which winds snakelike across the landscape, or a braided river like Nebraska’s Platte, which forms small islands of sediment called sandbars.
When viewed from the ground, the curved layers appear arranged in rows that ripple out across the landscape. They could be the remnants of a river’s banks that shifted over time – or the remnants of sandbars that formed in the river. The layers were likely much taller in the past. Scientists suspect that after these piles of sediment turned to rock, they were sandblasted by wind over the eons and carved down to their present size.
“The wind has acted like a scalpel that has cut the tops off these deposits,” said Michael Lamb of Caltech, a river specialist and Perseverance science team collaborator. “We do see deposits like this on Earth, but they’re never as well exposed as they are here on Mars. Earth is covered in vegetation that hides these layers.”
A second mosaic captured by Perseverance shows a separate location that is part of the curvilinear unit and about a quarter mile (450 meters) from Skrinkle Haven. “Pinestand” is an isolated hill bearing sedimentary layers that curve skyward, some as high as 66 feet (20 meters). Scientists think these tall layers may also have been formed by a powerful river, although they’re exploring other explanations, as well.
“These layers are anomalously tall for rivers on Earth,” Ives said. “But at the same time, the most common way to create these kinds of landforms would be a river.”
The team is continuing to study Mastcam-Z’s images for additional clues. They’re also peering below the surface, using the ground-penetrating radar instrument on Perseverance called RIMFAX (short for Radar Imager for Mars’ Subsurface Experiment). What they learn from both instruments will contribute to an ever-expanding body of knowledge about Mars’ ancient, watery past.
“What’s exciting here is we’ve entered a new phase of Jezero’s history. And it’s the first time we’re seeing environments like this on Mars,” said Perseverance’s deputy project scientist, Katie Stack Morgan of JPL. “We’re thinking about rivers on a different scale than we have before.”
More about the mission
A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).
Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.
The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.
JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.
For more about Perseverance, visit www.mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
Lake County OES is seeking to receive the comments on or before May 26 at 5 p.m.
Minor edits may be made, and some data is being finalized before incorporation of public comment and final submission to Cal OES in June.
Please submit all comments by email to
The plan update began in September 2022, when the Board of Supervisors established a Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee, chaired by Lake County OES and comprised of county and local stakeholders including one member from each supervisorial district.
Information from each meeting and session is available online at www.lakesheriff.com/about/oes/hmp.
Lake County OES facilitated the plan update and engaged county departments and stakeholders (referred to as the working group) to complete each section of the plan update.
This is the second draft release to request public comment.
Public participation is encouraged.
To view the working draft, visit www.lakesheriff.com/about/OES/HMP.
Additional opportunities for information and feedback are available several ways:
• Follow www.facebook.com/lakecountyOES for ongoing public information and education regarding hazard mitigation and all things emergency management.
• Visit any Lake County Library branch to review hard copies of all planning components during the planning process.
• Visit www.lakesheriff.com/about/OES/HMP to learn more about hazard mitigation, the planning process and progress, upcoming events and more.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday released his May Revision proposal, a balanced budget plan that his office said maintains critical investments to address California’s biggest challenges while preparing for continued economic uncertainty due to global economic issues.
The governor’s budget closes a projected $32 billion budget shortfall while protecting key investments in the issues that matter most to Californians, including education, health care, housing and homelessness, public safety and climate action.
Following two years of unprecedented growth, revenues have fallen short of monthly estimates since the 2022 Budget Act was enacted last June.
California has planned for this potential shortfall, with the governor and Legislature paying down the state’s prior debts, building unprecedented reserves and prioritizing one-time investments.
“In partnership with the Legislature, we have made deep investments in California and its future — transformative efforts that will benefit generations of Californians, and that this budget will continue to guide as we navigate near-term ups and downs in revenue,” said Gov. Newsom. “As we prepare for more risk and uncertainties ahead, it’s critical that we keep the state on a solid fiscal footing to protect Californians and our progress in remaking the future of our state.”
Senate Majority Leader Mike McGuire, who represents Lake County in the State Senate, called the revised budget “a commonsense approach” that focuses on the state’s current fiscal challenges by limiting and reducing spending, strengthening reserves and paying down pension liabilities.
“And, we can’t stop investing in the programs and priorities that will strengthen the lives of Californians in every corner of this state. This includes funding as promised to combat our homelessness crisis, build thousands of workforce affordable housing units, tackle our climate crisis and make communities more wildfire safe and record dollars for our kids and public schools,” said Sen. McGuire.
With unprecedented investments over the past two state budgets, in addition to federal funding targeting infrastructure and inflation reduction, California will invest more than $180 billion over the next several years in clean energy, roads, bridges, public transit, water storage and conveyance and expanded broadband service.
These investments will create hundreds of thousands of new jobs while building the infrastructure to make our state better connected, safer and more prepared for our future.
While the May Revision does not forecast a recession, it recognizes increased risks to the budget since January that could significantly change the state’s fiscal trajectory in the near term.
Taking this into account, the plan reflects $37.2 billion in total budgetary reserves, including $22.3 billion in the Budget Stabilization Account.
In addition to addressing the budget shortfall, the May Revision maintains investments in key priorities for Californians.
This includes:
PROTECTING HEALTH CARE ACCESS. Following Gov. Newsom’s actions to expand health care access and reduce costs, the May Revision maintains billions to continue implementing these measures — programs like CalAIM to transform Medi-Cal, extending health care to low-income Californians of all ages regardless of immigration status, making insulin more affordable through CalRx, and more.
TACKLING HOMELESSNESS. Gov. Newsom has invested $15.3 billion to address homelessness — up from $500 million when he took office and more than ever before in state history. The May Revision maintains billions of dollars for aid to local governments, encampment resolution grants, and more. With this funding will come new accountability — no more status quo.
INCREASING HOUSING SUPPLY. In the last four years, California invested more to increase housing supply than ever before in state history while holding local governments accountable. The state continues to deploy a comprehensive set of strategies — improving state financing, targeting housing investments, providing technical assistance, eliminating regulations, and leveraging land use tools. The state adopted a legally binding goal that local governments must plan to build approximately 2.5 million new units by 2030, and 1 million of these units must be affordable.
CALIFORNIA’S CLIMATE COMMITMENT. California is advancing a $48 billion multiyear commitment to implement its world-leading agenda to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045, protect communities from harmful oil drilling, deliver 90% clean electricity by 2035, and more. It also proposes the development of a Climate Resilience Bond to increase and sustain investments in our climate initiatives.
KEEPING CALIFORNIANS SAFE. The May Revision sustains over $800 million in record-level public safety investments, including supports for victims’ services, officer wellness and training, nonprofit security grants, efforts to combat fentanyl, and more.
UNIVERSAL TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN. The May Revision continues to fully fund the first and second years of expanded eligibility for TK, creating a whole new grade.
FREE MEALS FOR EVERY STUDENT. California is investing $1.6 billion for all students, regardless of income, to access two free school meals per day — up to 12 million meals per day statewide.
Additional details on the May Revision can be found at www.ebudget.ca.gov.
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- Written by: DENNIS FORDHAM
In California, people often transfer their real properties and other assets to their living trust to avoid court administered proceedings later-on when they are unable to manage the trust assets due to incapacity or death, such as conservatorships and probates).
That is, when the settlor is no longer able to serve as trustee then a successor trustee steps-in and administers the trust without court involvement.
The death beneficiaries may at that time become anxious and ask, what, if any, rights do we future beneficiaries now have? Are we now entitled to receive a copy of the trust, accountings, and information about trust assets and liabilities?
In California, while a trust is revocable, a trustee owes the fiduciary (legal) duties to account and to provide information regarding the trust to the settlor who established the trust (Probate Code sections 15800(a) and 16069).
The settlor of a trust is treated the same as the owner of the trust assets because the settlor can revoke the trust so long as he is competent to revoke the trust.
Until the settlor dies, the future death beneficiaries named by the settlor in the trust have only a mere expectancy of a possible future inheritance. Thus, generally, the trustee owes all duties to the settlor while the settlor is alive and is competent.
Nonetheless, recent California case law recognizes that when a settlor is incompetent that the death beneficiaries have standing to receive trust accountings and information about the trust and its administration and that a beneficiary has standing to contest a revocable trust if the beneficiary proves or could have proved the settlor's incompetence (Drake v. Pinkham (Cal.App.4th 400 (2013)).
After the death of the settlor, the death beneficiaries can also hold the trustee accountable for the trust being properly administered while the settlor was incompetent, but only to the extent that an wrongdoing reduced what they inherited at the settlor’s death (Estate of Giraldin, 55 Cal.4th 1058 (2012).
In 2022, California clarified and made explicit the rights of trust death beneficiaries prior to a settlor’s death, by amending section 15800 of the Probate Code (in response to case law) to provide that the incompetency of a settlor means that the trustee owes certain trustee duties to death beneficiaries: When no person who can revoke the trust, in whole or in part, is competent then the trustee provide future beneficiaries — i.e., the persons whom the trustee would then be required, or authorized, to make distributions if the settlor were then deceased — with notice and a copy of the trust (within 60 days of receiving information as to the settlor’s incompetence), annual accounting(s), and, upon request by a future beneficiary, information about trust assets, liabilities and the administration (Probate Code section 15800 (b).
Whether a trustee owes a future beneficiary such duties under section 15800 depends on whether the beneficiary has a vested interest (due to the settlor’s capacity) or has a contingent (unvested) interest.
The trustee has discretion whether to notify beneficiaries whose interest are not yet vested, “… due to the interest being conditioned on some factor not yet in existence or not yet determinable …” (Probate Code section 15800(b)(4).
For example, alternative death beneficiaries who would inherit if an intended death beneficiary predeceased the settlor do not yet have a vested interest if the intended beneficiary is alive (e.g., the settlor’s grandchildren who would take in place of a still living child if the child later predeceased the still living settlor).
Whether a settlor is incompetent to trigger these rights under section 15800 is determined either using a method provided in the trust document or a court determination of incompetency.
A trust might, for example, say that a settlor is incompetent to revoke the trust when a licensed physician issues a written statement to the effect that the settlor does not have sufficient capacity to amend the trust. Otherwise, a court petition to determine capacity may be necessary.
The foregoing is not legal advice. For legal guidance consult a qualified attorney.
Dennis A. Fordham, attorney, is a State Bar-Certified Specialist in estate planning, probate and trust law. His office is at 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, Calif. He can be reached at