Mars May Have Hidden Ocean of Water Beneath Its Surface

Recent findings indicate that Mars may harbor significant amounts of water beneath its surface, potentially enough to form a global ocean. This research, based on seismic data from NASA’s Mars InSight lander, suggests that water could be located seven to twelve miles deep within the Martian crust. The InSight lander, which detected over 1,300 marsquakes before ceasing operations two years ago, provided crucial data for this study, led by Vashan Wright from the University of California San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The study posits that this subsurface water likely originated from the planet's surface billions of years ago, during a time when Mars was home to rivers, lakes, and possibly oceans. Wright emphasized that while the presence of water does not guarantee the existence of life, it does indicate environments that could be potentially habitable. The research team utilized computer models alongside InSight's seismic readings to conclude that underground water is the most plausible explanation for the data collected. If the findings from InSight's location at Elysium Planitia are representative of Mars as a whole, the underground water could fill a global ocean approximately one to two kilometers deep. Although the InSight lander is no longer operational, scientists are still analyzing the data gathered from 2018 to 2022 to gain further insights into Mars' geological history and potential for life. Mars, once a wet planet over three billion years ago, is believed to have lost much of its surface water due to atmospheric thinning, leading to the arid conditions observed today. Scientists theorize that ancient water either escaped into space or remains trapped beneath the surface.