- Mars probably had liquid water on its surface Billions of years ago, but Mars' water disappeared over time, leaving the planet cold and dry. Where did Mars' water go?
- Could there be water beneath the surface of Mars now? New research from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, based on data from NASA's InSight lander, suggests just such a possibility.
- Martian groundwater could be enough To form a global ocean, these scientists say, if it were on the surface.
Oceans of water on Mars, underground?
Today, there is abundant evidence that liquid water existed on Mars a few billion years ago, but today Mars is a frozen desert. Where did the water go? A new study, led by Vashan Wrightgeophysicist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, provides potential evidence of water – A lot of it – deep below the surface, in the crust. The findings are based on data from NASA satellites now extinct Knowledge Mission. The researchers saying By August 12, 2024, Mars' middle crust could be saturated with water, enough to form a global ocean if that water were on the surface.
The researchers published his peer reviewed study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on August 12, 2024.
Wright aware The news in X of August 12:
Liquid groundwater found on Mars?
By: Me, Michael Manga and Mattias Morzfeldhttps://t.co/FIVXp1IZ0T
— Professor from the island? (@DrVasshe) August 12, 2024
Martian water could be in ancient aquifers
Mars had rivers, lakes, and possibly even oceans. But billions of years ago, the planet lost all of its surface water. The surface of Mars became dry, cold, and inhospitable. Scientists have hypothesized about the fate of all that water. There is evidence that some of it escaped into space, but much of it could also have simply seeped underground. The new findings, if confirmed, would seem to validate that possibility. As the article says, fixed:
More than three billion years ago, large volumes of liquid water temporarily existed on the surface of Mars. Much of this water is thought to have been trapped underground or lost to space.
New study says most of the water on Mars is still underground today, and it is liquidNot just ice. We already know of extensive ice deposits both on the surface of the poles and below the surface. This study, however, focuses on the middle crust, deeper than where the ice deposits are found. The depth is between 7 and 13 miles (11 to 20 km). The data come from NASA's InSight lander, which studied the Martian interior: the crust, mantle and core. This data, along with data from Martian rovers, helps scientists understand how Mars evolved, how much water it once had and how much water may still exist. Wright saying:
Understanding the water cycle on Mars is critical to understanding the evolution of the climate, both on the surface and in the interior. A useful starting point is to identify where water is found and how much there is.
The study estimated that there is enough water to fill a planet-sized ocean about 1 mile (1.6 km) deep.
Wearing @NASAInSight data, a new analysis led by Scripps Oceanography geophysicist Vashan Wright (@DrVasshe) provides the best evidence to date that Mars contains liquid water deep in its crust. Learn more about the study published in @PNASNews. ?? https://t.co/8O6rntesZ8 image.twitter.com/SQQJaqhTvY
— Scripps Institution of Oceanography (@Scripps_Ocean) August 12, 2024
The most likely explanation is liquid water
InSight ended its mission in December 2022, after too much dust eventually deprived the solar-powered lander of enough power. But during the four years it was in operation, it collected enormous amounts of data about the interior of Mars. This included detecting thousands of marsquakes, the equivalent of earthquakes on our planet. By measuring the speeds at which seismic waves move beneath the surface, scientists can determine what types of rock, ice, or other materials are present. The research team used a model informed by a mathematical theory of rock physics. The result? The researchers determined that the presence of liquid water in the crust likely explained InSight’s data. The paper said:
A middle crust composed of fractured igneous rocks saturated with liquid water best explains the existing data. Our results have implications for understanding the Martian water cycle, determining the fate of past surface waters, searching for past or present life, and assessing in situ resource utilization for future missions. While the available data are best explained by a water-saturated middle crust, our results highlight the value of geophysical measurements and better constraints on the mineralogy and composition of the Martian crust.
Warmer temperatures deep in the crust
While ice deposits are common on the near surface of Mars, potential liquid water is found deeper in the midcrust, where temperatures are warmer. The paper states:
Liquid water in midcrustal pores also requires sufficiently high permeability and sufficiently warm temperatures in the shallow crust to allow exchange between the surface and greater depths.
Researchers even postulate that there should be more water in the mid-crustal zone than the amounts proposed to have filled the hypothesized ancient Martian oceans. That's a lot of water!
A window into Mars' past and a possible home for life
If there really is an ocean's worth of water inside Mars, it offers fascinating clues about the planet's past. Co-author Michael Manga of the University of California, Berkeley, said:
Establishing that there is a large reservoir of liquid water provides insight into what the climate was or could be like. And water is necessary for life as we know it. I don't see why (the underground reservoir) isn't a habitable Environment. This is the case on Earth: very deep mines harbour life, the ocean floor harbours life. We have not found any evidence of life on Mars, but we have at least identified a place that, in principle, should be capable of supporting life.
Bottom line: Where did all the water on Mars go? A new study using data from NASA's InSight mission provides evidence for the existence of oceans of water on Mars, deep in the crust.
Source: Liquid water in the Martian middle crust
Through the Scripps Institution of Oceanography
Read more: To find water on Mars, you have to listen to the earthquakes
Read more: InSight lander reveals first quakes on Mars
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