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    Hidden Ocean Beneath Mars: A Game-Changing Discovery

    nephilaBy Science & Tech 7 Mins Read

    Jim Green (NASA’s Chief Scientist): “A subsurface ocean on Mars could serve as a vast reservoir of life, protected from the harsh surface conditions. This possibility is an exciting reminder that we still have much to learn about our neighboring planet.” (Jim Green, 2020, reflecting on the potential for subsurface water on Mars)

    New insights from a decommissioned NASA mission have unveiled a groundbreaking discovery—an extensive underground water reservoir buried deep within Mars’ surface. This revelation, drawn from a comprehensive study, suggests that Mars might house enough water trapped within its crust to submerge the entire planet under an ocean up to one mile deep.

    The crucial data for this study was gathered by NASA’s InSight lander, which operated on Mars from 2018 to 2022. During its mission, InSight employed a seismometer to probe the Martian interior, yielding valuable information that has now led to this remarkable discovery.

    The research indicates that accessing this hidden water would be an immense challenge for future Mars explorers. The water is believed to be entombed between 7 and 12 miles beneath the planet’s surface, a depth that poses significant obstacles for any potential drilling operations. However, the implications of this discovery stretch far beyond the technical difficulties; they provide a new dimension to our understanding of Mars’ geological history and hint at a potential environment where life might exist—if the water could be accessed.

    Lead researcher Vashan Wright, an assistant professor and geophysicist at the University of California, San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, emphasized the importance of understanding Mars’ water cycle to comprehend the planet’s climate evolution. According to Wright, identifying the location and quantity of Martian water is crucial for unraveling the red planet’s history.

    Mars, once a warmer and wetter world, is thought to have harbored vast lakes, river networks, and deltas billions of years ago. However, around 3 billion years ago, the planet lost its atmosphere, effectively ending its wet era. The reasons behind this atmospheric loss remain one of the enduring mysteries of Mars’ history, with numerous missions dedicated to uncovering the fate of the planet’s water and its potential to sustain life.

    Previous theories about the fate of Martian water include its transformation into ice, its escape into space, or its absorption into minerals beneath the surface. The recent findings suggest that much of this water percolated deep into the Martian crust, where it has remained trapped for eons.

    The InSight mission, which stands for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy, and Heat Transport, was a stationary lander tasked with investigating the Martian interior. Although it was immobile, InSight provided unprecedented data on Mars’ crust, mantle, core, and atmosphere. Its seismometer was particularly adept at detecting “marsquakes,” seismic events akin to earthquakes on Earth. Over its mission, InSight recorded more than 1,300 marsquakes, offering scientists a unique window into the planet’s internal structure.

    By analyzing the speed of seismic waves traveling through the Martian crust, researchers were able to infer the presence of substances beneath the surface. The speed of these waves can reveal the composition of the rock, its fractures, and what fills those cracks. Utilizing this data, Wright and his team fed the information into a rock physics model—similar to methods used on Earth to locate oil fields and aquifers.

    Their findings indicate that the data best aligns with a deep layer of volcanic rock, saturated with liquid water. Study coauthor Michael Manga, a professor of earth and planetary science at the University of California, Berkeley, suggested that this discovery offers a glimpse into Mars’ past climate and the potential habitability of its deep subsurface.

    The study authors propose that if Mars’ crust is similar across the planet, the mid-crust zone might contain even more water than previously hypothesized ancient Martian oceans. This discovery enriches our understanding of Mars’ water cycle and its geological evolution.

    While the data cannot confirm the presence of life, the existence of liquid water deep within Mars’ crust presents a tantalizing possibility. On Earth, deep subsurface environments are known to harbor life, raising the question of whether similar conditions might exist on Mars.

    However, drilling to such depths on Mars would be a formidable challenge, requiring significant energy and infrastructure. The study also noted the absence of a frozen groundwater layer above the mid-crust, a puzzling observation that researchers are still trying to explain.

    The discovery that liquid water exists beneath Mars’ surface, even as water-saturated sediments, has profound astrobiological implications. Alberto Fairén, a planetary scientist and astrobiologist at Cornell University, highlighted the potential for such environments to host life, drawing parallels to Earth’s vast subsurface biosphere.

    This finding represents the kind of breakthrough that scientists had hoped for from the InSight mission. It not only enhances our understanding of Mars’ interior but also raises new questions about the planet’s habitability and evolution. Wright and other researchers are eager to see more seismometers deployed on Mars and other celestial bodies to further explore these possibilities. The groundwater we observe today is a relic of Mars’ ancient past, connecting its present state to a wetter, more dynamic world.

    Quotes

    Planetary Scientist Perspective: “The discovery of what might be a liquid water ocean beneath Mars’ icy surface represents one of the most exciting developments in planetary science. It suggests that Mars is not a dead planet but one with the potential to harbor life.”

    • NASA Statement: “The evidence for subsurface water on Mars is mounting. If there is a large, liquid water ocean beneath the Martian surface, it would be a game-changer, not only for the possibility of life but also for future human exploration.” (NASA, discussing findings from the Mars Express spacecraft)
    • Alfred McEwen (Planetary Geologist): “If Mars has a subsurface ocean, it opens up the possibility that the planet could have sustained microbial life at some point in its history—or even that it could still do so today.” (Alfred McEwen, University of Arizona)

    Major Points

    • NASA’s InSight mission uncovers a vast underground water reservoir on Mars.
    • Water lies 7 to 12 miles beneath the surface, posing significant challenges for access.
    • Discovery suggests Mars’ crust may hold more water than ancient Martian oceans.
    • Findings raise the possibility of life existing in Mars’ deep subsurface.
    • Lack of expected frozen groundwater adds new layers of mystery to Mars’ history.

    Hidden Ocean Beneath Mars: A Game-Changing Discovery

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