New discovery of underground water on Mars
After studying data from the rover, researchers have made the claim that a large “underground water” system exists on Mars.
Researchers at the University of Southern California made a bold claim Tuesday: based on new research, Mars likely has a “deep groundwater” system that could extend far beyond the planet’s poles and bubble up to the surface through cracks in the planet’s crust.
“We have seen similar mechanisms in the Sahara Desert in North Africa and in the Arabian Peninsula, and it helps us understand similar mechanisms on Mars,” said researcher Abotalib.
In a new paper published in the prestigious journal Nature Geoscience, Abotalib and colleagues detail their analysis of data from a radar instrument on the Mars Express probe, a European Space Agency satellite orbiting Mars.
Last month, the satellite provided evidence of a more extensive underground water system on Mars than scientists had previously imagined. But the analysis by the University of Southern California team goes a step further, suggesting that water trapped beneath the surface seeps through cracks, forming visible streams on the surface.
