Martian Underground Reservoir Could Fill Red Planet's Oceans, Study Reveals
The revelation of liquid water beneath Mars' surface marks a significant advancement in understanding the planet's history and potential for sustaining life. The exploration of Mars' underground reservoir opens new avenues for future research and underscores the importance of unravelling the mysteries of the Martian water cycle.
Scientists suggest that this underground water source, ensnared in tiny cracks and rock pores within Mars' crust, could potentially fill oceans on the planet's surface, covering Mars entirely to a depth of 1 mile (1.6 kilometers).
The information was gathered by NASA's InSight lander, which utilised a seismometer to explore Mars' interior between 2018 and 2022. The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday, indicates that the groundwater lies approximately 7 and 12 miles (11.5 and 20 kilometers) beneath the Martian surface, posing challenges for future astronauts seeking to access it.
Lead study author Vashan Wright, an assistant professor and geophysicist at the University of California, San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, highlighted the significance of understanding Mars' water cycle in deciphering the planet's climate, surface, and interior evolution. Identifying the water's location and quantity serves as a crucial starting point in this endeavour.
The search for 'lost' water on Mars has long intrigued scientists, with past evidence suggesting that Mars was once warmer and wetter billions of years ago. However, the planet lost its atmosphere over 3 billion years ago, leading to the end of its wet period. Various theories speculate on the fate of Martian water post-atmospheric loss, including incorporation into minerals beneath the surface or trickling into deep aquifers.
The recent findings propose that water on Mars seeped down into the planet's crust, offering new insights into its geological past. The InSight mission provided unprecedented data on Mars' crust thickness, mantle temperature, core composition, and atmosphere, detecting over 1,300 marsquakes and shedding light on the planet's internal structure.
While the study cannot confirm the existence of life on Mars, the discovery of a deep reservoir of liquid water raises the possibility of habitable environments beneath the Martian surface. The team's analysis suggests that Mars' mid-crust zone may hold more water than previously estimated, challenging existing hypotheses about ancient Martian oceans.
The revelation of liquid water beneath Mars' surface marks a significant advancement in understanding the planet's history and potential for sustaining life.
The exploration of Mars' underground reservoir opens new avenues for future research and underscores the importance of unravelling the mysteries of the Martian water cycle.
Source: CNN