According to the Daily Mail, Mars has a two-mile-thick layer of frozen water at its equator. If melted, the water would cover the entire planet in a layer of liquid up to 8.8 feet deep, and would be enough to fill Earth’s Red Sea.
The ice is located in the Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF). Scientists first suspected ice was buried deep beneath the MFF in 2007, but couldn’t be sure it was water ice and not sediments of dust or ash. Now, data confirms that the deposits are likely indeed ice, and go as deep as 2.3 miles.
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. It has a maximum width of 190 miles, its greatest depth 9,974 feet, and its area approximately 174,000 square miles. The Red Sea contains some of the world’s hottest and saltiest seawater.
Enough water to fill Earth’s Red SeaThe ice within the Medusae Fossae Formation, if melted, could envelop Mars in a water layer measuring between 1.5 to 2.7 meters deep. This represents the largest water reservoir discovered in this region of Mars, holding enough water to rival the volume of Earth’s Red Sea
Mars has four known water reservoirs:
- Atmosphere: Contains a small amount of water vapor
- Polar caps and regions: Contain ice-rich layers
- Subsurface: Contains water underground
- Valles Marineris: Contains a hidden reservoir of water Mars also has evidence of water in the form of: Ancient riverbeds, Ice caps, Buried glaciers, Martian soil. In 2018, scientists reported the discovery of a subglacial lake on Mars. However, subsequent work has questioned this detection. In September 2020, scientists confirmed the existence of several large saltwater lakes under the ice in the south polar region of Mars.
Mars also has evidence of water in the form of: Ancient riverbeds, Ice caps, Buried glaciers, Martian soil.
In 2018, scientists reported the discovery of a subglacial lake on Mars. However, subsequent work has questioned this detection. In September 2020, scientists confirmed the existence of several large saltwater lakes under the ice in the south polar region of Mars
Like Earth, Mars today has four known sources, or “reservoirs,” of water, according to scientists. One is the atmosphere, which holds a bare trace of water vapor. The second are the ice-rich layers in the polar caps and regions. The third lies underground in the subsurface
In 2018, scientists from the Italian Space Agency reported the discovery of a subglacial lake on Mars. The lake is located 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) below the southern polar ice cap and spans 20 kilometers (10 miles) horizontally. The water temperature is estimated to be −68 °C (−90 °F), and the lake contains an extremely salty brine.
In September 2020, scientists confirmed the existence of several large saltwater lakes under the ice in the south polar region of Mars. The lakes are thought to be extremely salty, which could pose challenges to the survival of any microbial life forms.
The lakes would remain liquid thanks to high salt content and pressure that lowers the freezing point of the water.
Yes, the water on Mars is salty. In fact, the water on Mars is mostly frozen ice or brines that are too salty for humans to drink
In 2022, scientists found more evidence of salty water on Mars. NASA also discovered hundreds of deposits of sodium chloride (table salt) that stretch across tens to hundreds of square kilometers.
In 2022, a team concluded that salty water ice beneath the surface may be melting and creating a slushy mix that flows down Martian slopes.
Some scientists believe that the early Martian ocean was acidic and almost as salty as the Dead Sea
Atmospheric conditions on Mars 400,000 years ago were similar to what’s seen now, suggesting it’s possible that there’s still liquid, salty water at the planet’s low latitudes, says Xiaoguang Qin, a geologist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing
Yes, water on Mars is underground
In 2019, the InSight lander detected magnetic pulses and oscillations that indicate a planet-wide reservoir of liquid water deep underground. In 2018, scientists using data from the European Space Agency’s Mars Express orbiter discovered signals that appeared to indicate a liquid subsurface lake. Since then, several more such reflections have been announced.
In 2016, NASA reported finding a large amount of underground ice in the Utopia Planitia region of Mars. The volume of water detected is estimated to be equivalent to the volume of water in Lake Superior.
In the Mars Ultimi Scopuli region, there appear to be several underground bodies of water, with the largest up to 12 miles (20 km) across. However, it’s not known how deep the deposits are, or if they’re much more than liquid veins embedded in the ice.
Calculations show that the water table on Mars was for a time 600 meters below the surface. The InSight lander uncovered in September 2019 unexplained magnetic pulses, and magnetic oscillations consistent with an existing planet-wide reservoir of liquid water deep underground
According to a January 19, 2024 Daily Mail article, Mars has two miles of water buried at its equator. If melted, the water would cover the entire planet in a layer of liquid up to 8.8 feet (2.7 meters) deep, and would be enough to fill Earth’s Red Sea.
According to a January 18, 2024 BBC Science Focus article, the spacecraft discovered so much ice there that, if it all melted, it would cover Mars in a layer of water 1.5 to 2.7m (4.9 to 8.9ft) deep.
According to a January 20, 2024 Euronews article, scientists operating Europe’s Mars Express orbiter say it may have spotted huge ice water deposits below the surface of Mars. It’s estimated that the deposits are around 3.7 kilometers thick.
According to a January 19, 2024 Newsweek article, if all the ice was brought to the surface of Mars and melted, it would be enough to coat the entire planet with an ocean between 5 and 9 feet deep.
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