Mars has a huge water ocean – but deep underground

Partly because this planet is located at a fairly close distance from the earth, meaning that the prospect of humans being able to set foot on it is completely feasible. The second reason lies in the fact that scientists still believe that there was life on the Red Planet billions of years ago, and we are doing everything we can to prove this statement.

Mars has a 24.5-hour day, seasonally expanding/contracting polar ice caps, and a series of surface features shaped by water throughout the planet's tectonic history. . These are all characteristics quite similar to Earth.

However, one of the main conditions to send humans to Mars and live permanently is to find a source of water. Mars was once a wet planet, but it has now lost most of its surface water through hydrogen-generating reactions, and is now a barren desert with little remaining water. in the form of ice at the poles.

However, the good news is that researchers have now determined that there may be a groundwater ocean on Mars. There's just one hitch: it's deep underground.

Mars has a huge water ocean – but deep underground Picture 1

The study used data from NASA's InSight lander, which used seismometers and other instruments to investigate the planet's interior. They found evidence of what appeared to be an enormous underground water reservoir located at depths between 7 and 13 miles below the Martian surface. This also means that accessing water will be "very difficult".

However, this finding is not without practical applications. "Understanding the water cycle on Mars is critical to understanding the evolution of the climate, surface and interior," said researcher Vashan Wright of the University of California San Diego. "A useful starting point is to determine where and how much water there is."

The discovery could also help piece together the complex history of water on Mars. Scientists agree that there was water on the planet's surface for a significant period of time, but there is no consensus on exactly how long this water existed — an important issue in determine whether life can develop on this planet.

Kareem Winters

Update 19 August 2024