Scientists have discovered a massive underground reservoir of liquid water on Mars, located deep within fractured igneous rocks, which could contain enough water to cover the planet’s surface with an ocean. This finding, based on seismic data from NASA’s InSight lander, reveals that the water lies approximately 7.2 to 12.4 miles (11.5 to 20 km) below the Martian surface, potentially creating conditions that could support microbial life, either in the past or present.
Planetary scientist Vashan Wright explained that the temperature at these depths is suitable for liquid water, unlike shallower depths where it would be frozen.
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Similar conditions on Earth often harbor microbial life. The InSight mission, which ended in 2022, used seismic measurements to determine the properties of Martian rocks, identifying the water reservoir within the planet’s crust.
The data suggests that if the water in these fractures were extracted, it could form a 1-2 km deep ocean globally on Mars. This supports the idea that Mars once had liquid water on its surface and that much of it may have filtered into the crust rather than escaping into space.
Water would be crucial for future human exploration and settlement on Mars, although accessing it would be challenging due to its depth. Drilling and exploring geologically active regions might be potential methods for locating this water.
