2024-01-19 17:58:00
Published on January 19, 2024 at 12:58 p.m.
Updated January 19, 2024 at 1:00 p.m.
Recent studies have just confirmed that there were gigantic pockets of icy water beneath the surface of Mars.
Hypothesis confirmed
15 years ago, deposits were discovered by the Mars Express probe at the equator of the Red Planet, the composition of which was then uncertain. Studies from 2022 have just confirmed the composition of these deposits: it is in fact water ice. At the time, scientists reported deposits going deep below the surface, which might have been water, sediment or volcanic ash. With the new data, it was confirmed that this is in fact the largest amount of water ever found in this part of the planet.
New data
This region at the equator of Mars has interested scientists for many years. Thanks to the Marsis Radard, new data allowed scientists to find out more. Ultimately, the depth of the deposits was greater than previously thought. Recent results also show a composition of ice topped with a layer of dust.
Lots of water
Ice water pockets are important. If all this ice melted, the entire surface of Mars would be covered, and the thickness of the water might reach more than 2 meters in height. The Red Planet has always seemed an arid environment. However, scientists have discovered significant traces of water for several years, particularly in polar ice caps and glaciers. This begs the question: what was the climate of Mars really like? Because the water ice deposits are buried under hundreds of meters of sediment and dust, they are inaccessible for now and scientists will have to make do with radar data until further advances are made.
SEE ALSO: A truck zigzags on the ice
1705695316
#water #thought #Mars
