the In PNAS The calculation was published, according to the results of which a layer of water 1-2 kilometers thick could cover the surface of Mars, if the water was not in the depths. About the discovery Berkeley University I mentioned.
The InSight Mars probe has been investigating features beneath the Red Planet's surface, and its seismic measurements have yielded a number of scientific findings. This has been further reinforced by the newly published result.
By combining Martian seismic data and rock information, experts have concluded that rocks at a depth of 11.5-20 kilometers are not solid, but are full of small gaps and cracks that can be filled with liquid water. There is also a lot of similar porous water at great depths on our planet (a According to a 2021 study (approximately 1.5 times the amount of water stored in ice sheets), but this water can be very salty.
Result form: Under the probe, the upper layer of the crust is completely dry, but at a great depth there is already a lot of water in the cracks and pores.
Source: James Tuttle, Ken, Aaron Rodriquez, Scripps Institution of Oceanography
It is now clear that there was plenty of water on Mars until about 3 billion years ago, but it disappeared due to climate change. Most of the water was thought to dissolve in the atmosphere and escape into space. However, recent findings suggest that this was not the fate of Martian water entirely, which may be reassuring to those who were particularly concerned about the fate of this water.
But according to our current knowledge, we won't go very far, because extracting anything from this depth is no easy task, even here on Earth.
Fontos lehet ez abból a szempontból is, hogy hol érdemes még életnyomokat keresni a Marson.
On our planet, some microbes are known to live very deep, in mines, in rock crevices many kilometers below the surface. Why would it be any different on Mars? As a theoretical possibility, it is certainly worth considering these water-filled rock crevices.
However, this discovery may be even more interesting if we look at it as a witness to the planet's geological past. The fate of Mars' water reveals past climate cycles, and the relationships between the surface and deep layers.
The researchers examined the data from InSight’s Marsquakes using a method used to search for groundwater resources on Earth, or for petroleum resources hidden deep underground. Based on the model’s calculations, the measured data can best be explained by the presence of deep porous rocks and the pore water stored in them. Assuming the entire Martian region has a similar crust, the water stored in this way could fill the oceans.
