A recent study has uncovered a substantial amount of groundwater beneath Mars, often called the “Red Planet.” This groundwater could potentially create an ocean on Mars between 1 and 2 kilometers deep.
The research team, led by Vashan Wright, a former UC Berkeley postdoctoral fellow now an assistant professor at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, published their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Their conclusions are based on data collected by NASA’s InSight lander.
The study analyzed seismic data gathered by InSight and confirmed unprecedented information indicating the presence of liquid water within porous rock layers at depths of 11.5 to 20 kilometers.
If the liquid water identified at these locations is widespread throughout the planet, it may be more abundant than the ancient oceans that disappeared about 3 billion years ago. According to the research team, this could cover the entire surface of Mars to a depth of 1 to 2 kilometers.
Scientists speculate that Mars was once entirely covered by oceans about 3 billion years ago. As the planet’s atmosphere gradually thinned, surface water evaporated, leaving Mars the dry, dusty planet we see today. They theorize that some of this water from the ancient oceans seeped into cracks, becoming groundwater.
Water is essential for life, so scientists often highlight its presence when evaluating the potential for life or human settlement. Researchers have been looking for liquid water on Mars beyond the ice found at the poles, and this recent study marks a significant breakthrough.
NASA’s InSight lander launched in 2018 and began its mission in November. Unlike rovers, InSight was a stationary lander that gathered seismic data near Mars’ equator in the Elysium Planitia region until 2022.
Unlike earthquakes on Earth, which are caused by the movement and collision of tectonic plates, Marsquakes operate differently because Mars has a single, massive plate with no tectonic movements. These quakes are caused by cracks forming and separating over time.
During its mission, InSight’s seismometer recorded more than 1,300 Marsquakes. The research team used this data in rock physics models and confirmed the presence of layers containing liquid water within Martian rock or volcanic formations.
Even though the presence of water has been confirmed, the InSight is not equipped to drill down to these depths. On Earth, drilling just 1 kilometer deep requires immense energy and infrastructure, making it impossible to penetrate at least 11 kilometers beneath the Martian surface.
However, Wright explained that these results could serve as a crucial starting point for understanding the water cycle on Mars and, further, the planet’s climate, surface, and internal evolution.
Some experts, however, speculate that the water beneath Mars might not be in the familiar form we know but could instead be “mud.”
Alberto Fairén, a planetary scientist and astrobiologist at Cornell University who was not involved in the study, remarked that rather than isolated lakes, sediments or aquifers containing liquid water might be under the Martian surface. He noted that the possibility of life originating several kilometers below the Martian surface is fascinating from an astrobiological perspective.
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