Scientists discover liquid water on Mars for the first time: What a new study says
- August 20, 2024
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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Scientists discover liquid water on Mars for the first time: What a new study says
Sub: Sci
Sec: Space sector
Context:
- According to a new study, there could be oceans’ worth of liquid water deep in the rocky outer crust of Mars.
- While scientists have known about water ice at the Martian poles for a long time, this is the first time they have discovered liquid water on the planet.
About the study:
- The study, ‘Liquid water in the Martian mid-crust’, was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
- The researchers used the data from NASA’s Mars Insight Lander, which was equipped with a seismometer.
- The lander had recorded of seismic waves created by Marsquakes and meteorite impacts deep inside the planet for four years.
- The researchers examined the speed of these seismic waves and were able to determine what material they were most likely to be moving through.
Findings:
- The data are best explained if, deep below the surface of Mars, there lies a layer of fractured igneous rock, such as granite, whose cracks are filled with liquid water.
- That layer is located at depths of about 10 to 20 km in the Martian crust.
- The study suggests that the water could have seeped from the surface billions of years ago when Mars harboured rivers, lakes, and possibly oceans.
Implications:
- The findings could help researchers better understand the water cycle of Mars, the evolution of the planet’s climate, surface, and interior.
- Discovery of liquid water raises the possibility of finding a habitable environment.