Mars had liquid water deep underground, suggests new data

In a new analysis of seismic data from Nasa's InSight lander, persuasive new evidence supporting the possibility of liquid water deep underground on Mars has come to light.

Researchers proposed in 2024 that the deep subsurface of the Red Planet, particularly between 7.1 and 12.4 miles (11.5 and 20 kilometres) down, is soaked in liquid water, a conclusion they base on the velocities of seismic waves detected during marsquakes, reported Space.com.

Supporting evidence for this claim of liquid water deep inside Mars has been found by the researchers Ikuo Katyama of Hiroshima University and Yuya Akamatsu of the Research Institute for Marine Geodynamics in Japan now.

"Many studies suggest the presence of water on ancient Mars billions of years ago," said Katayama in a statement. "But our model indicates the presence of liquid water on present-day Mars."

Similar to previous research, this new study is based on seismic data collected by the SEIS (Seismic Experiment for the Interior Structure) instrument that was part of the InSight mission, which operated on the surface of the red planet between 2018 and 2022.

Notably, SEIS was the first ever seismometer to operate on Mars, and it was sensitive to three different types of seismic wave emanating from marsquakes.

These included P-waves, which oscillate back and forth similar to how a sound wave propagates; S-waves which oscillate up and down, perpendicular to the direction of travel; and surface waves, which travel along the surface of Mars similar to ripples in a pond.

source geo nenws