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New Evidence Discovered for Oceans of Liquid Water Beneath Martian Surface
Could there be Martians hiding in "oceans" 10 miles under the surface of Mars?
It’s possible that alien life existed on Mars, once upon a time. It’s even possible that life exists there today, hiding in parts of the planet we haven’t yet looked at.
In the search for the real-world equivalent of Resident Alien’s Harry Vanderspeigle (catch the series streaming now on Peacock), astronomers and explorers have a new place to look. Scientists recently uncovered evidence of underwater oceans of water in the Martian mid-crust.
The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and based on data from NASA’s now-retired InSight lander. The research is revealing new information about the Martian water cycle and may inform future missions to the Red Planet.
NASA’s InSight Lander Finds Oceans of Water Underground on Mars
The Mars InSight lander (short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) launched from Earth May 5, 2018, and landed November 26, 2018, at Elysium Planitia, Mars. It was designed to help scientists understand the processes which formed the rocky planets, by measuring geological activity on Mars.
InSight carried two scientific instruments to the surface of the Red Planet: a heat probe designed to take underground temperature readings and a seismometer for measuring marsquakes. Unfortunately, the regolith (Martian soil) at the landing site was different than expected and the heat probe was unable to penetrate to the necessary depth. The seismometer, however, measured marsquakes for years before the mission wrapped up.
In December 2022, NASA announced the mission had ended after Martian dust accumulated on the solar panels and starved the lander of energy. Nearly two years after InSight’s time of death, scientists are still combing through the data it collected and learning new things about Mars.
Where Did All of Mars' Water Go?
There’s evidence that Mars was a lot more like Earth about 3 billion years ago. Today, we see evidence of ancient rivers, lakes, and oceans that trailed across the Martian landscape. Between then and now, all of the surface water seems to have frozen at the poles or vanished. The comparatively low gravity of Mars meant it couldn’t hold onto a substantial atmosphere and astronomers suspected that its surface water bled off into space.
Newly uncovered evidence from Mars InSight suggests that much of Mars’ water may have remained on the Red Planet, hiding out in cracks and crevices in the Martian mid-crust. When it was still active, InSight’s seismometer worked much like Earth-based seismometers. When a marsquake kicked off on the other side of the planet, seismic waves cut through ground and arrived at the seismometer. By studying those waves, scientists can figure out the density (and therefore the probable composition) of underground parts of Mars. On Earth, seismology has revealed the planet’s mantle, outer liquid core, and inner solid core. On Mars, the InSight seismometer has revealed the presence of fractured igneous rocks saturated with liquid water. In fact, there’s potentially enough water inside the planet to cover the entire surface in an ocean a mile deep.
In order for the water to survive, there must be sufficient temperature and pressure to keep the water liquid and allow for a water cycle. If that’s the case, and if Martian life ever existed, it’s possible that it persists today in pockets of habitability buried under the Martian ground. Finding that water will prove a challenge for any future Martian astronauts or robotic missions. The data indicates that it’s sequestered between 7 and 12 miles (11 to 19 kilometers) beneath the surface.
If you prefer an alien who’s easier to find, check out Resident Alien, streaming now on Peacock.
