Liquid water discovered on Mars? Here’s what the latest study says

This finding was revealed during a study by scientists Vashan Wright, Matthias Morzfeld, and Michael Manga of the University of California San Diego. | EdexLive

This study is a vital piece of proof to support the theory that Mars once had water on it. With this study, scientists could understand the water cycles on the Red Planet, which could then lead to the discovery of traces of life on the planet. | EdexLive

The scientists reached this conclusion by analysing the seismic waves of Mars from 2018 to 2024, which were captured by the NASA Insight Lander. Through these waves, the scientists aimed to discover what material was moving beneath the planet’s surface. | EdexLive

According to the researchers, the seismic waves could be caused if there was a layer of fractured rock Indigenous to Mars, with water in its cracks under the planet’s surface. This layer could be found 10-20 km below the Red Planet’s crust. | EdexLive

Theories on the presence of water on Mars date back to 1971, when the NASA Mariner Space Programme’s Mariner 9 found river beds, canyons, water erosion and other evidence to support the theory. | EdexLive

According to the scientists, if the findings of the Insight Lander were to be taken as a sample of the whole, a one to two-km ocean could be formed by the water present under the planet’s surface. | EdexLive

However, seeing this revelation as a sign to start colonising the planet is not plausible, as researchers say that digging a hole through the planet’s surface to extract its trapped water is difficult. | EdexLive