Discovering Hidden Lakes Beneath Mars' South Pole: A New Frontier for Life
Italian researchers have uncovered multiple salty underground lakes beneath Mars' South Pole, boosting the potential for microbial life on the Red Planet.
This groundbreaking discovery significantly increases the chances of microbial life existing on Mars.
Scientists from Italy have identified several salty water reservoirs beneath the Martian South Pole's surface. Their findings were published in the renowned journal Nature Astronomy.
The detection was made possible by the MARSIS radar instrument aboard the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter. Utilizing advanced radar signal processing techniques commonly used for Earth's polar ice sheets, researchers conducted an extensive subsurface survey of the planet.
The study reveals multiple underground lakes adjacent to a large subsurface body of water. These lakes likely contain hypersaline brines rich in perchlorates—salts or esters of chloric acid—that prevent freezing. The exact salt concentration remains unknown; if too high, it could preclude the presence of life. While radar imaging cannot determine this definitively, the mere presence of liquid water significantly raises the prospects for microbial ecosystems on Mars.
Scientists estimate the largest lake lies about 1.5 kilometers beneath the icy surface, spanning up to 30 kilometers in width. Collectively, this network of lakes may cover an area as vast as 75,000 square kilometers.
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