Last Updated: Ancient Crater Lake Discovered On Mars Linked To Planet's Icy Past: Researchers An ancient crater lake in the southern highlands of Mars appears to have been created due to glacier runoff, claimed researchers indicating planet’s icy past. Image credits: NASA An ancient crater lake in the southern highlands of Mars appears to have been created due to glacier runoff, claimed researchers on March 30 indicating that the Martian Planet could have a cold and icy past. The Researchers at Brown University said in a statement that they have discovered a never-known-before type of ancient crater lake on the Red planet that could give scientists insight into the mysterious past of the planet and its early climate. The latest study on Mars’ ancient crater has been published in Planetary Science Journal and is led by Brown University’s Ph.D. student Ben Boatwright.