A recent seismic analysis of NASA’s Insight mission data refers to liquid water deep under the surface of Mars, whereby the possibility of a microbial life on the red planet is ruled.
The study, led by Ikuo Katayama from Hiroshima University and Yuya Akamatsu, suggests that fractures-filled fractures can exist in the Mars-Korst.
Published in Geology If “seismic discontinuity in the Martian crust may be caused by cracks filled with water,” investigates Seismic waves that are detected by the seis instrument of Insight.
Shifts in golf speeds were registered at depths of 10-20 km. While earlier studies attributed these anomalies to porosity or composition changes, Katayama and Akamatsu propose another explanation: liquid water.
“If liquid water exists on Mars, the presence of microbial activity is possible,” out Katayama. S-waves, which cannot travel through liquids, and P-waves, which slow down in water-rich materials, showed patterns that are consistent with water-filled fractions.
To test their theory, the team performed laboratory experiments with diabase rock (similar to Martian Crust). Under wet conditions, seismic wave behavior corresponded to the data of Insight.
“Many studies suggest the presence of water on old Mars billions of years ago,” explains Katayama, “but our model indicates the presence of liquid water on the current Mars.”
If confirmed, this finding would reform the habitability potential of Mars. Under the surface water, stable environments can offer protected against surface radiation and freezing temperatures. In contrast to previous detections of ice or brine, this study points to deeper, stable liquid water.
The research could lead future missions to investigate underground – where life, if it exists, can still survive.
