US EditionGrad Students Find Missing Link in Early Martian Water Cycle
- Researchers Mohammad Afzal Shadab and Eric Hiatt, pursuing their graduate studies at The University of Texas at Austin, have created a model to examine how water moved through early Mars’ surface down to underground aquifers.
- Their computer model simulates how water took between 50 and 200 years to seep from Mars’ surface down to an aquifer about a mile underground.
- The findings suggest much of Mars’ ancient water was trapped underground and less was available to replenish surface lakes, lakes, or the atmosphere through evaporation.
- Their model suggests that the underground water may have formed a reservoir at least 300 feet deep, and Hiatt noted that the water infiltrating the Martian crust was not escaping into space.
- This research revises Mars’ early hydrology picture, implying limited surface water stability and supporting future missions focused on subsurface water and astrobiology.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Missing link in early Martian water cycle discovered
Astronomers have filled a large gap in knowledge about Mars' water cycle. Their research on water percolating from surface to aquifer could change the picture of what early Mars was like, suggesting that less of the planet's water may have been available to become rain and refill lakes and oceans.
Terraforming Mars Could Be Within Reach
Mars has fascinated us for centuries. Since the invention of the telescope, science fiction writers have mused over its habitability. Its location in the Solar System's habitable zone suggests it could, in theory, support life—despite lacking a global magnetic field and surface water. In a new paper, researchers propose that terraforming Mars is now an achievable goal. They outline methods for warming the planet, releasing pioneer species to bui…
On Mars, each relief, each shade of colour, can revive hypotheses of several decades old. Failing to find rivers or seas there, scientists trace the least clues of a past or present activity of water on Mars, whether in rocks, ice or ground patterns. Among the most intriguing traces, some dark marks observed on the sides of craters have long sown doubt. Behind their apparent fluidity, these formations conceal an unexpected process, much drier th…
Beneath Mars’ Surface, Giant Structures Leave Experts Speechless
Giant, dense structures have been detected deep beneath the surface of Mars, stirring both curiosity and excitement among planetary scientists. These hidden masses could reshape our understanding of the Red Planet’s interior and hint at volcanic activity that may still be ongoing beneath its surface. A Massive Underground Anomaly Beneath Tharsis Montes Researchers recently confirmed the existence of a vast underground mass measuring roughly 1,75…
In a new study, led by scientists from the University of Bern and the University of Brown, half a million strange marks were mapped on the surface of Mars, to determine whether water would be a key factor in the appearance of stripes that have intrigued researchers for years. The study, cited by the European Space Agency (ESA), details that a global map with almost 500,000 strip characteristics was generated on the red planet, obtaining the larg…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 100% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
