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There might be a out of sight ocean ’s worth of liquid water system below the surface ofMars , seismal evidence suggests .

According to a Modern composition published April 25 in the journalNational Science Review , transcription of seismic waves from late within the Red Planet argue that a bed of liquid weewee may be lurking in the Martian rock-and-roll between 3.4 and 5 miles [ 5.4 to 8 kilometers ] below the surface .

an illustration of Mars

NASA has found evidence of Mars' water escaping into space — but new research hints that it may have also gone deep, deep underground.

The total book of hidden water could flood the whole of Mars ' airfoil with an ocean 1,700 to 2,560 feet [ 520 to 780 metres ] rich , around the same volume of liquid that is hold within Antarctica ’s water ice sheet , the study authors estimated .

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Our neighboring satellite was once abundant in water . In the time between Mars ' formation 4.1 billion years ago to about 3 billion long time ago , the Red Planet is think to have been extremely cockeyed , with feature film like vale mesh , delta formations , and layered sedimentary rocks suggestingsustained water flow .

an aerial image of canyons on Mars

Flowing water carved the vast canyons of Mars before disappearing billions of years ago. New research hints that much of it may now be trapped underground.

However , this abundant liquid piss " vanished as the planet transitioned to become the insensate , wry environment we see today , " theme cobalt - authorHrvoje Tkalčić , a prof of geophysics at the Australian National University , said in a affirmation .

Over time , Mars lost its magnetic theatre , and solar radiation syndrome began stripping off its aura . With a thin ambience , surface temperatures dropped ; the satellite ’s liquid water began to get away into quad , become trapped as trash in the subsurface or polar caps , or become locked in hydrous minerals within the planet ’s crust , the researchers said .

However , these method acting of water loss havepreviously been shownto not exclusively account for all the water that is estimated to have once feed on the Red Planet , with a gravid volume of " missing " water going unaccounted for . This conundrum has long puzzled scientist , posing the question of whether there is still liquid weewee veil on Mars that we have yet to ascertain .

A hypothetical picture of Mars 3.6 billion years ago, with the ocean Deuteronilus covering half the planet.

This novel research suggests that there is indeed fluid water bury deeply below the surface of the planet . Upon canvas seismic datum fromNASA ’s InSight lander , which landed onMars in 2018 , investigator find that seismal waves within the planet ’s interior — stimulate by asteroid impacts and marsquakes in 2021 and 2022 — appeared to slow down between 3.4 and 5 miles [ 5.4 to 8 kilometers ] below the surface . They suggest that this could be due to the presence of liquid water hidden within porous rocks , as seismic wavestravel more slowlythrough liquid than they do through more solid materials .

" This ' low-down - speed layer ' is most potential highly porous rock music fill up with swimming body of water , like a saturated sponge , " Tkalčić and another work carbon monoxide gas - authorWeijia Sun , a prof of geophysics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences , explained in anessay for the Conversation about the fresh subject area . “Something like Earth ’s aquifers , where groundwater ooze into careen pores . "

The researchers suggest that this melted piddle could make up the total volume of water lack from late calculations .

An artist�s illustration of Mars�s Gale Crater beginning to catch the morning light.

" Our subject indicates it ’s possible that much of that ancient water perk through the poriferous surface rocks and was retained underground , " Tkalčić said . " This also matches estimates of the ' missing ' water on Mars from other study . "

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Illustration of the Red Planet aka Mars against a black background.

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Previous studies have also found that large volume of water may be stored beneath theMartian Earth’s surface in ice form , and astudy from 2024suggested that liquid piddle could be salt away within rocks between 7 to 13 mi ( 11.2 to 21 kilometer ) beneath the airfoil .

The likely presence of smooth water on Mars is exciting to scientist , as limpid water supply is essential to life as we know it . While these likely reservoirs deep below the major planet ’s surface could host some descriptor of Martian life , we wo n’t know if the liquid water even subsist until we can bore late into Mars and regain it for ourselves .

an illustration of a planet with a cracked surface with magma underneath

" succeeding missions with seismometers and drills are needed to confirm the mien of the water at these depth and assemble more clues , " Tkalčić said .

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