Water Discovered 12 Miles Beneath Mars.
Scientific discoveries often ignite our imagination, even when they seem beyond our immediate grasp. A recent study from the University of California offers such a revelation—one that could reshape our understanding of Mars and its potential to harbor life. Researchers believe they have finally located the water that mysteriously vanished from the surface of Mars around 3 billion years ago. The catch? This vast reservoir of water is buried 12 miles (20 kilometers) beneath the Martian surface, far deeper than anything humans have ever drilled, even on Earth.
Using seismic data from NASA’s Insight lander, scientists detected deep, porous rock formations filled with enough water to cover Mars in a one-mile-deep ocean. This groundbreaking discovery provides the best evidence yet that Mars may still hold the potential for life, hidden in the depths of its mantle.
The significance of this find cannot be overstated. For years, scientists have puzzled over the fate of Mars’ ancient oceans, which disappeared billions of years ago when the planet lost its atmosphere. While some water remains frozen in Mars’ polar ice caps, it was never enough to account for the vast amounts that once flowed across its surface. The new study suggests that instead of escaping into space, much of the water may have seeped into the planet’s crust.
“Understanding the Martian water cycle is critical for understanding the evolution of the climate, surface, and interior,” explained Dr. Vashan Wright of UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Wright and his team used a mathematical model of rock physics, similar to those employed on Earth to map underground aquifers, to analyze the seismic data from Mars. Their findings indicate that the most plausible explanation is a deep layer of fractured igneous rock saturated with liquid water.
The implications of this discovery are profound. According to study co-author Professor Michael Manga of UC Berkeley, the presence of a substantial underground water reservoir offers new insights into Mars’ climatic history and raises the tantalizing possibility that life could exist—or once existed—deep below the planet’s surface. On Earth, life thrives in extreme environments, from the deepest mines to the bottom of the ocean. There’s no reason to believe that Mars couldn’t host life in similar conditions.
While the Insight lander, which provided the crucial data, has since ceased operations due to power shortages, its legacy lives on. The information it gathered will continue to fuel scientific research for years to come, potentially unlocking the secrets of Mars’ mysterious past and its capacity to support life.
Here is some relevant links to sources for the information.
- Astrobiological Potential of Rocks Acquired by the Perseverance Rover.