Researchers have found evidence of liquid water beneath the surface of Mars by analyzing data from NASA’s InSight rover.
A new study based on data from NASA’s Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations (InSight) mission has found evidence of liquid water beneath the surface of Mars. This discovery could change our understanding of the planet’s evolution and the possibility of life on it.
Today, Mars is a cold desert planet, but in the past, the situation was different. Scientists have long assumed the presence of water on Mars by observing formations on its surface, such as valleys and dried lakes. However, it was still a mystery where this water disappeared to.
The researchers considered two possible scenarios: the water could have evaporated into space or penetrated deep into the planet. To solve this mystery, NASA sent the InSight spacecraft to Mars, equipped with a seismometer to study the internal structure of the planet.
Vashan Wright, lead author of the study from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, emphasized the importance of understanding the Martian water cycle to study the evolution of the planet’s climate, surface and interior.
By analyzing seismic waves from the Mars rovers, the team of scientists created a model that indicates the presence of liquid water in the middle crust of Mars. According to their estimates, the volume of water can reach 1-2 km in terms of the thickness of the water layer, which exceeds the volume of hypothetical ancient Martian oceans.
The water is likely to be at a depth of 11.5 to 20 kilometers below the surface, making it inaccessible to future astronauts. However, this discovery may point to new places to search for life on the planet.
Michael Manga, a professor of Earth and planetary sciences at the University of California, Berkeley, noted that the discovery of a large reservoir of liquid water provides insight into the past and possible future climate of Mars. He also emphasized that such conditions could theoretically support life, as is the case in deep mines and at the bottom of the ocean on Earth.
Results of the study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Source: Iflscience
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