CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Mars may be drenched beneath its surface, with enough water hiding in the cracks of underground rocks to form a global ocean, new research suggests.
The findings released Monday are based on seismic measurements from NASA’s Mars InSight lander, which detected more than 1,300 marsquakes before shutting down two years ago.
This water — believed to be seven miles to 12 miles (11.5 kilometers to 20 kilometers) down in the Martian crust — most likely would have seeped from the surface billions of years ago when Mars harbored rivers, lakes, and possibly oceans, Vashan Wright, the lead scientist from the University of California San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, revealed.
Despite the presence of water on Mars, it does not confirm the existence of life. However, it does open up the possibility of potentially habitable environments on the red planet, according to Wright.
Combining computer models with InSight readings, the team concluded that underground water was the most likely explanation for the seismic data collected. This groundbreaking discovery was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
If Mars’ underground water is representative of the entire planet, it could potentially fill a global ocean one to two kilometers deep, providing exciting possibilities for future exploration and scientific investigation.
Further drilling and equipment would be needed to confirm the presence of water and search for signs of microbial life, marking an important next step in understanding the potential habitability of Mars.
Despite the conclusion of the InSight lander mission, researchers are still analyzing the data collected, providing valuable insights into Mars’ interior and geological history.
Through studying Mars’ past, scientists continue to unravel the mysteries of how the planet lost its surface water over billions of years, transforming into the arid, desolate world we know today. The search for ancient water, and potential life, beneath Mars’ surface remains a fascinating area of exploration and discovery.
