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Geophysicists have uncovered a vast underground ocean beneath Mars' surface, a discovery that may hold significant implications for the search for life on the Red Planet.
As reported by Live Science, the massive reservoir, identified through seismic data collected by NASA's InSight Lander, contains enough water to cover Mars in a mile-deep ocean. However, the water lies at a depth far beyond current technological reach.
The hidden ocean is trapped in fractured rock layers 7 to 13 miles (11.5 to 20 kilometers) beneath the planet's surface. Accessing it would require drilling capabilities that surpass anything currently achieved on Earth. Despite the challenges, researchers believe this underground ocean could be a promising site for future life detection efforts. The findings were published on Aug. 12 in the *Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)*.
"Water is essential for life as we know it," said Michael Manga, a study co-author and professor of earth and planetary science at UC Berkeley. "I don't see why this environment couldn't be habitable. We've seen life in extreme conditions on Earth, such as deep mines and the ocean floor."
While no evidence of life on Mars has been found, Manga emphasized the importance of this discovery as it identifies a potential habitat for life. Mars' surface features, including dried-up riverbeds and lakebeds, suggest that water once flowed abundantly on the planet. However, about 3.5 billion years ago, Mars experienced a drastic climate shift that stripped water from its surface.
The exact cause of this sudden desiccation remains unclear. Scientists have proposed theories including the loss of the planet's magnetic field, asteroid impacts, or even ancient microbial life altering the climate. Determining where Mars' water went and understanding its climate history are key questions in planetary science.
The study's researchers used data from NASA's InSight Lander, which operated on Mars from 2018 to 2022, to explore the planet's interior. InSight's sensors recorded quakes up to magnitude 5, generated by meteor impacts and volcanic activity. By analyzing this seismic data, scientists developed a model to map Mars' interior, revealing details such as the crust's thickness, core depth, and mantle temperature.
Their investigation uncovered a fractured crust filled with enough liquid water to suggest that Mars' water did not escape into space but instead seeped into the planet's subsurface.
Currently, reaching this hidden ocean is beyond human capability—the deepest hole ever drilled on Earth, the Kola Superdeep Borehole, only reached 7.6 miles. Nevertheless, scientists continue to search for signs of life on Mars. The Perseverance rover, which has been exploring Jezero Crater since 2021, may already have collected Martian dust and potential evidence of ancient life.
NASA had planned a mission to retrieve these samples in 2026, but budget constraints have pushed the timeline back to 2040. The agency is now seeking proposals from private companies to accelerate the mission.
[Information sourced from Live Science]
