Scientists have discovered a reservoir of liquid water on Mars – deep in the rocky outer crust of the planet.
The findings come from a new analysis of data from Nasa’s Mars Insight Lander, which touched down on the planet back in 2018.
The lander carried a seismometer, which recorded four years’ of vibrations – Mars quakes – from deep inside the Red Planet.
Analysing those quakes – and exactly how the planet moves – revealed “seismic signals” of liquid water.
While there is water frozen at the Martian poles and evidence of vapour in the atmosphere, this is the first time liquid water has been found on the planet.
The findings are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Insight’s scientific mission ended in December 2022, after the lander sat quietly listening to “the pulse of Mars” for four years.
In that time, the probe recorded more than 1,319 quakes.
A NASA robot detected over a thousand quakes on Mars. It also may have revealed a huge reservoir of water.
The detected water exists some seven to 13 miles underground in cracks and ruptures in the deep Mars crust.
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