New Mars study shows body of water big enough to 'form a global ocean' 12 miles deep in Martian rocks

New research sparked by NASA's Mars InSight lander suggests that Mars could be soaked beneath its crust, potentially harboring enough subterranean water to create a planetary ocean .

Recent NASA findings , unveiled on Monday, build on over 1,300 marsquakes picked up by the now-retired InSight lander, indicating that an immense volume of water might be tucked away 7 to 12 miles deep in Martian rocks.

Vashan Wright from UC San Diegos Scripps Institution of Oceanography explains the possibility that billions of years ago, vast amounts of water may have retreated underground from a Mars abundant with rivers, lakes, and perhaps oceans.

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However, the existence of water within Mars doesn't necessarily imply the planet can support life, pointed out lead researcher Wright.

"Instead, our findings mean that there are environments that could possibly be habitable," Wright clarified via email.

With computer simulations complementing data from InSight, such as quake velocity, Wright's team has surmised that subterranean water is the likeliest cause. These significant insights were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday.

Wright posited that if the InSight lander's region at Elysium Planitia near the equator is similar to the rest of Mars, the estimated subterranean water could fill a mile-deep global ocean on the red planet.

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To confirm the presence of water and any potential signs of microbial life, drills and other equipment would be necessary.

Even though the InSight lander is no longer operational, scientists are still analyzing data collected from 2018 to 2022, hoping to learn more about the interior of Mars.

Mars, which was believed to be wet almost everywhere over 3 billion years ago, is thought to have lost its surface water as its atmosphere thinned, transforming the planet into the dry, dusty world we know today. Scientists speculate that much of this ancient water either escaped into space or remained buried underground.

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