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Mars, the planet that may once have been Earth's rival in the Solar System, is back in the spotlight with an intriguing discovery. Scientists suggest that there is a huge amount of water on Mars, hidden in its crust, which could form a new subterranean ocean. But is this really true?
About 3,7 billion years ago, Mars looked very different from what we know today. Large bodies of water on Mars covered vast areas of the northern hemisphere, forming what was probably a new (to us) ocean. However, when the planet's magnetic field disappeared, solar winds stripped much of the moisture from the surface, pushing the rest underground.
Mars is currently a reddish desert covered in rust dust, but recent studies have shown that new hopes of finding water hidden in its crust. According to research from the University of California published in the journal PNAS, there is a thick layer of liquid water located between 11,5 and 20 km deep, capable of covering the planet with more than 1.000 meters of water.
What do experts say about water on Mars?
While the idea of a new ocean on Mars is fascinating, not all experts agree. Brigitte Knapmeyer-Endrun of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) is critical of the study’s methodology. She says seismic data from NASA’s InSight mission does not prove the existence of large reservoirs of water. “Mars is a planet, not a province,” Knapmeyer said, noting that subsurface conditions vary greatly between regions.
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She also points out that the data used in the study is inconsistent and that other explanations, besides a water-saturated crust, could justify the results.
Life underground: reality or fiction?
Despite the doubts, the possibility of life in subterranean wetlands continues to intrigue scientists. According to Javier Eduardo Suarez Valencia, an expert in the geology of extraterrestrial planets, underground water deposits could contain simple microorganisms, protected from the hostile atmosphere of Mars. He explains that, instead of lakes or rivers, these reserves would be composed of porous rocks interconnected by small fissures.
However, drilling these depths to study or extract water is a gigantic technological challenge and still far from our reality.
Where is the water on Mars?
While a new ocean remains hypothetical, there is concrete evidence of where water could be found on Mars:
- Atmosphere: Small amounts of water vapor.
- Black : Ice at higher latitudes.
- Polo shirts: Large deposits of ice mixed with frozen carbon dioxide.
- craters: Thin layers of ice in deep regions.
- South Pole: Liquid water beneath large deposits of ice.
- Seasonal streams: Highly salty fluids appear briefly in warm seasons.
The Future of Martian Exploration
While the idea of a new ocean on Mars is still debated, the search for water on Mars continues to bring us closer to answer fundamental questions about habitability of the red planet. More studies and technological advances will be needed to explore these depths and perhaps one day discover whether Mars has ever harbored life – or whether it could in the future.
