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New study finds ocean's worth of water hiding beneath the surface of Mars

Nasa's robotic InSight lander collected data that revealed that enough water is hiding deep under the surface of Mars to form an ocean covering the planet

Mars soil is toxic! It can wipe out living organisms: Study

Mars

Sudeep Singh Rawat New Delhi

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Water found on Mars: Scientists have discovered water on Mars sufficient to form oceans on its surface. The only concern is that the water exists too deep under the surface of the Red Planet for humans to access. 

The report is supported by peer-reviewed research published on Monday in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Nasa's robotic InSight lander collected the data during its mission to understand Mars' interiors. 

The lander carried a seismometer that discovered the liquid water through an analysis of those quick quakes as well as the precise motion of the planet. 

It is the first time that water has been officially discovered on the planet. Although evidence of vapour in the atmosphere, and frozen water in the Martian poles have earlier been detected on the red planet. 
 

According to a recent report, the water is between 11.5 and 20 kilometres below Mars' surface. It may offer suitable circumstances for the survival of microbiological life, either today or in the past, on the planet, according to researchers. 

Although the water is inaccessible, it shows a peculiar mosaic of our dry, dusty neighbour's aquatic past. 

The co-author of the study from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego, Dr Vashan Wright, said, “Our liquid water estimate is more than the water volumes proposed to have filled possible ancient Martian oceans.” 

Wright's analysis mentions that the most plausible explanation for both seismic and gravity data is a mid-crust with broken rocks soaked with water. He also believes that the water trapped in the rock fissures would create a 1-2 km deep ocean on the entire Mars if the measurements made at the Insight lander location were indicative of the entire planet. 

“On Earth, groundwater underground infiltrated from the surface, and we expect this process to have occurred on Mars,” he added. 

He also stated that awareness of the water cycle on Mars is essential to comprehend the changes in the core planet and surface environment. 

The study revealed that a large portion of the water that was formerly on the Martian surface filtered into the crust rather than escaping into space. 

Prof Michael Manga, a researcher from the University of California, Berkeley, for the study, said, “These are actually the same techniques we use to prospect for water on Earth or to look for oil and gas.” 

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First Published: Aug 13 2024 | 6:20 PM IST

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