New study reveals that there is an ocean of water beneath the surface of Mars

Science: New research suggests there may be enough water hidden in cracks in underground rocks beneath the surface of Mars to form oceans. The findings are based on seismic measurements from NASA’s Mars InSight lander, which detected more than 1,300 Mars earthquakes before shutting down two years ago. Researchers combined computer models with InSight data, including the speed of the earthquakes, to determine that underground water is the most likely cause for the seismic readings. The results were published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The water in the cracks — 11.5 km (7.15 miles) to 20 km below the surface — most likely accumulated there billions of years ago, when Mars had rivers, lakes and possibly oceans, according to lead scientist Vashan Wright of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego.

“On Earth, what we know is that where there is sufficient moisture and sufficient sources of energy, there is microbial life far below the surface of the Earth,” Wright said. “Just as we know the elements for life exist below the surface of Mars, if these interpretations are correct.” Matthias Morzfeld of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Michael Manga of the University of California, Berkeley, also authored the paper. The InSight lander – Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport – was the US space agency’s first spacecraft dedicated to looking below the surface of Mars and studying its interior. If InSight’s location in Elysium Planitia near Mars’ equator is representative of the rest of the Red Planet, there would be enough underground water to fill a 1-2 km deep global ocean, Wright said. Drills and other instruments would be needed to confirm the presence of water and look for any possible signs of microbial life. Scientists are analysing the data collected by the lander to learn more about the internal structure of Mars.