Mars’ ‘missing’ water may be buried beneath surface
AFP, WASHINGTON
Mars was once home to lakes and oceans but where all the water went to transform the planet into the desolate rock we know today has been something of a mystery.
Most of it was thought to have been lost to space, but a new study funded by NASA proposes that it did not go anywhere, but is trapped within minerals in the crust.
“We’re saying that the crust forms what we call hydrated minerals, so minerals that actually have water in their crystal structure,” said Eva Scheller, lead author of the new paper in Science.
The findings overturn the long-held theory that most of the red planet’s water escaped into the cosmos due to Mars’ low gravity levels.
This image made available by NASA shows the planet Mars. This composite photo was created from over 100 images of Mars taken by Viking Orbiters in the 1970s. (NASA via AP)
(CN) The numerous, abundant bodies of water that once dotted Mars’ surface billions of years ago have vanished but scientists believe the desert world is storing up to 99% of its water in the planet’s crust, according to a NASA-funded study released Tuesday.
The red planet’s ancient water system once held enough water to cover Mars entirely in an ocean as deep as 4,900 feet in some sections. But the system dried up more than 3 billion years ago, according to NASA.
691
Washington, March 17
Vast amounts of ancient water may have been trapped beneath the surface of Mars, according to a NASA-funded study which challenges the current theory that the Red Planet s water escaped into space.
Evidence found on the surface of Mars suggests that abundant water flowed across Mars billions of years ago, forming pools, lakes, and deep oceans, and where did all that water go has been a matter of investigation.
The new study, published in the
journal Science, shows that a significant portion of Mars s water between 30 and 99 percent is trapped within minerals in the planet s crust.
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