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- Mars probably had liquid water on its surface<\/strong> billions of years ago. But Mars\u2019 water disappeared over time, leaving the planet cold and dry. Where did Mars\u2019 water go?<\/li>\n
- Could water now lie below Mars\u2019 surface?<\/strong> New research from from Scripps Institution of Oceanography \u2013 based on data from NASA\u2019s InSight lander \u2013 suggests this possibility. <\/li>\n
- Mars\u2019 underground water might be enough<\/strong> to form a global ocean, these scientists say, if it were on the surface.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Oceans of water on Mars, underground?<\/h3>\n
There is ample evidence today for liquid water on Mars a few billion years ago. But today\u2019s Mars is a frozen desert. Where did its water go? A new study, led by Vashan Wright, a geophysicist at UC San Diego\u2019s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, provides potential evidence of water \u2013 lots of it<\/em> \u2013 deep below the surface in the crust. The findings are based on data from NASA\u2019s now-defunct InSight mission. The researchers said on August 12, 2024, that Mars\u2019 mid-crust may be saturated with water, enough to form a global ocean if that water were on the surface.<\/p>\n
The researchers published their peer-reviewed study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences<\/em> on August 12, 2024.<\/p>\n
Wright posted the news on X on August 12:<\/p>\n
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? Liquid Ground Water Found on Mars ?<\/p>\n
by: Myself, Michael Manga, and Mattias Morzfeld<\/p>\n
1\/n <\/p>\n
\u2014 Island Prof ??? (@DrVasshe) August 12, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Oceans of water on Mars?<\/h3>\n
Mars was had rivers, lakes and possibly even oceans. But, billions of years ago, the planet lost all its surface water. Mars\u2019 surface became dry, cold and inhospitable. Scientists have postulated hypotheses about where all the water went. There is evidence that some of it escaped into space. But much of it might also have simply seeped underground. The new findings \u2013 if confirmed \u2013 would seem to validate that possibility. As the paper stated:<\/p>\n
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Large volumes of liquid water transiently existed on the surface of Mars more than three billion years ago. Much of this water is hypothesized to have been sequestered in the subsurface or lost to space.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The new study says that most of Mars\u2019 water is still underground today, and is liquid<\/em>, not just ice. We already know of extensive ice deposits both on the surface at the poles and below the surface as well. This study, however, focuses on the mid-crust, deeper down than where the ice deposits are. The depth is between seven to 13 miles (11 to 20 km). The data came from NASA\u2019s InSight lander, which studied the Martian interior, the crust, mantle and core. This data, along with data from Mars rovers, helps scientists understand how Mars evolved, how much water it once had and how mcc water may still exist. Wright said:<\/p>\n
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Understanding the Martian water cycle is critical for understanding the evolution of the climate, surface, and interior. A useful starting point is to identify where water is and how much is there.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The study estimated there is enough water to fill a planet-wide ocean about one mile deep.<\/p>\n
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Using @NASAInSight<\/a> data, a new analysis led by Scripps Oceanography geophysicist Vashan Wright (@DrVasshe<\/a>) provides the best evidence to date that Mars contains liquid water deep in its crust. Learn more about the study published in @PNASNews<\/a>. ?? pic.twitter.com\/SQQJaqhTvY<\/a><\/p>\n
- Could water now lie below Mars\u2019 surface?<\/strong> New research from from Scripps Institution of Oceanography \u2013 based on data from NASA\u2019s InSight lander \u2013 suggests this possibility. <\/li>\n
![\"Cutaway](\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2024\/08\/Mars-interior-cutaway-view-illustration-InSight-August-12-2024.jpeg\")
![\"Water](\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2024\/08\/InSight-selfie-Mars-December-6-2018.jpg\")