August 12, 2024
New Mars study suggests water hiding beneath
New Mars study suggests an ocean's worth of water may be hiding beneath the red dusty surface. CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. —Mars may be drenched beneath its surface, with enough water hiding in the cracks of underground rocks to form a global ocean, new research suggests. The findings released Monday are based on seismic measurements from NASA’s Mars InSight lander, which detected more than 1,300 marsquakes before shutting down two years ago. This water — believed to be seven miles to 12 miles down in the Martian crust — most likely would have seeped from the surface billions of years ago when Mars harbored rivers, lakes and possibly oceans, according to the lead scientist, Vashan Wright of the University of California San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Photo Credit: FILE - This image provided by NASA shows the InSight Mars lander in a selfie photo composite on April 24, 2022, the 1,211th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. (NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP, File) SOURCE: NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP, File CAPE CANAVERAL, FlORIDA Photo Credit: FILE - This image provided by NASA shows the InSight Mars lander in a selfie photo composite on April 24, 2022, the 1,211th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. (NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP, File) SOURCE: NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP, File More details »
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