Missing Water
The mystery surrounding Mars’ missing water will not be resolved anytime soon.
Even so, scientists recently uncovered evidence that a massive groundwater network may have once existed below the red planet’s surface, the Smithsonian Magazine reported.
Researchers studied images of 24 craters in the planet’s northern hemisphere and found relief features on the floors that they believe might have been caused by rising and falling groundwater.
They posit that these pockets of groundwater may have been interconnected at one point as a vast underground reservoir, which may have in turn linked to a Martian ocean that could have existed three to four billion years ago.
“We found the first geological evidence of a planet-wide groundwater system on Mars,” according to lead author Francesco Salese.
A massive, interconnected water system would have been possible because Mars is thought to be a “one-plate planet” – meaning that its crust is composed of one solid piece.
Such interconnectivity, however, wouldn’t be possible on Earth, because of the various tectonic plates that make up its outer shell.
The research team also found that some of the craters housed minerals that are linked to the emergence of life on Earth.
The team made no claims about whether life ever existed on Mars but its findings could help identify the most promising regions of the planet to hunt for it.
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