Scientists May Have Just Discovered A Lake On Mars

Written by Asley Simon SEPTEMBER 30, 2022

About three billion years ago, Mars was full of water, as riverbeds, deltas, and ocean basins that are now dry show.

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When the planet lost its magnetic field, the solar wind carried away much of its atmosphere and most of its water.

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In the form of ice, there is a lot of water locked up in Mars's polar caps. Earth's Greenland ice sheet holds about the same quantity of water.

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Exobiologists who want to find out if there could be life on Mars need water, but it can only be liquid, so ice is kind of a deal breaker.

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New research shows Astronomers report in Nature that Mars' south pole may have a lake under the ice.

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It could be as big as 30 km (18 mi) across and is kept warm by geothermal heating from radioactive isotopes or magma far beneath.

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In 2018, the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter scanned Ultimi Scopuli. This suggested water under Mars' south pole.

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The scans identified a region that reflected light at a frequency consistent with liquid water. This wouldn't be unusual under an ice cap on Earth.

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The weight of thick ice sheets on top of each other often creates enough pressure to make heat, which melts the ice deep below the surface.

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2 Mars Express results were inaccurate. Cold at Mars' poles should counteract pressure-caused heating and freeze ice.

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