Scientists make massive discovery 12 miles beneath Mars' surface that could cover the planet with water
Yasmeen Hamadeh
Featured Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech / Getty Stock Image
While water on Mars was long believed to appear as ice, new research reveals that there may still be liquid water on the Red Planet.
New data from a retired NASA mission shows evidence of an underground water reservoir on Mars. The only catch is that it's apparently incredibly deep beneath the planet's surface.
The findings come from NASA's InSight lander which studied the interior levels of Mars between 2018 to 2022.
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Scientists behind the study believe that the water within the planet's interior is enough to fill up an ocean on its surface.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, details that the water could cover up the entirety of Mars with a depth of one mile (1.6 kilometers).
However, actually reaching the water reservoir would pose a lot of challenges.
The water is located between seven and 12 miles (11.5 and 20 kilometers) beneath Mars' surface, making it incredibly difficult to actually be able to access it.
However, these findings are still incredibly exciting and rejuvenate our understanding of Mars' geological history with welcomed new information.
They also invite further research on life on Mars and what this water reservoir could have potentially meant for it.
In a statement, lead study author and assistant professor and geophysicist at the University of California, San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Vashan Wright shared: "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," he added.
Co-author and professor of Earth and planetary science at the University of California, Berkeley, Michael Manga also shared: "Establishing that there is a big reservoir of liquid water provides some window into what the climate [on Mars] was like or could be like."
"Water is necessary for life as we know it. I don't see why (the underground reservoir) is not a habitable environment," he continued. "It's certainly true on Earth - deep, deep mines host life, the bottom of the ocean hosts life. We haven't found any evidence for life on Mars, but at least we have identified a place that should, in principle, be able to sustain life."