Scientists have discovered that a significant amount of water is locked underground on Mars, enough to fill a mile-deep ocean, according to a recent study.
Research suggests that there may still be liquid water hidden deep within Mars’s rocky outer crust.
By analyzing data from Marsquakes, researchers identified seismic signals that indicate the presence of a large reservoir of water beneath the Martian surface.
According to the study, the Martian mid-crust, located 6 to 12 miles below the surface, is composed of igneous rock with water-filled fractures.
Lead author Vashan Wright, a geophysicist at the University of California at San Diego, emphasized the importance of understanding the Martian water cycle for comprehending the planet’s evolution.
Exploring Mars’s Water Reservoirs
Mars’s surface features suggest that the planet once had abundant water bodies, but most of the water has since been lost or frozen in the planet’s crust.
The study estimates that the water locked in the mid-crust could cover the entire planet to a depth of about a mile.
Potential Challenges of Accessing Martian Water
While the discovery of underground water on Mars is significant, accessing it for future colonization efforts may prove challenging due to the depth at which the water is located.
Drilling 6 to 12 miles deep into Mars’s crust would be a formidable task, as demonstrated by the deepest hole ever drilled on Earth, the Kola Superdeep Borehole.
Despite the challenges, the discovery of water on Mars opens up possibilities for habitable environments and could guide future efforts to search for evidence of life on the Red Planet.
