Mars study suggests an ocean's worth of water may be hiding beneath the red dusty surface
Mars may be drenched beneath its surface, with enough water hiding in the cracks of underground rocks to form a global ocean, new research suggests.
The findings are based on seismic measurements from NASA's Mars InSight lander, which detected more than 1,300 marsquakes before shutting down two years ago.
This water — believed to be 11.5 kilometres to 20 kilometres down in the Martian crust — most likely would have seeped from the surface billions of years ago when Mars harboured rivers, lakes and possibly oceans.
Lead scientist, San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography Vashan Wright, said that just because water still may be sloshing around inside Mars does not mean it holds life.
"Instead, our findings mean that there are environments that could possibly be habitable," he said.
His team combined computer models with InSight readings including the quakes' velocity in determining underground water was the most likely explanation.
The results appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
If InSight's location at Elysium Planitia near Mars' equator is representative of the rest of the Red Planet, the underground water would be enough to fill a global ocean between one and two kilometres deep, Mr Wright said.
It would take drills and other equipment to confirm the presence of water and seek out any potential signs of microbial life.
Wet almost all over more than 3 billion years ago, Mars is thought to have lost its surface water as its atmosphere thinned, turning the planet into the dry, dusty world known today.
Scientists theorise much of this ancient water escaped out into space or remained buried below.
The InSight lander touched down on Mars at the end of 2018 on a volcanic plain known as Elysium Planitia, with goals to work out what lies beneath Mars' surface.
It was well-known for its engaging social media posts and "selfies" taken with a robotic arm, and went viral for its tear-jerking farewell message at the end of its mission in 2022.
Scientists continue to analyse the data collected from the lander in search of more information about Mars' interior.
