It turns out that there is as much ice as the Red Sea just below the equator of Mars
Mars does not have an ocean like Earth on its surface, but there is water underground. A new analysis of data sent by the Mars Express rover reveals that the deposit, which is up to 3.7 km thick, is likely to be ice, and the amount of ice that separates Africa and the Arabian Peninsula on Earth. It has been revealed that it corresponds to the Red Sea.
ESA - Buried water ice at Mars's equator?
A Massive Amount of Water Ice Has Been Found on Mars, Lurking Beneath The Equator : ScienceAlert
Mars Express is a Mars rover that was launched on June 2, 2003 and arrived in Mars orbit on December 25. Although Beagle 2, a lander, could not be successfully sent to Mars, it has continued to explore Mars as an orbiter that remains in orbit for more than 20 years.
From March 2006 to April 2007, Mars Express investigated the Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF) using the Mars Advanced Radar for ionosphere exploration, and discovered a huge deposit up to 2.5 km thick. revealed the existence of
MFF consists of multiple structures several kilometers high and hundreds of kilometers in diameter that were created by weathering. It lies right on the border between lowlands and highlands on Mars, and is believed to be one of the largest deposits on Mars.
by CReSIS/KU/Smithsonian Institution
Initial observations showed that MFF has high radar penetration and low density. This matches the characteristics of an ice sheet, but since similar characteristics appear in volcanic ash and dust, it was not possible to determine the true nature of the phenomenon.
Since then, as data has accumulated and new data analysis tools have emerged, the deposits have been found to be larger than originally observed, reaching up to 3.7 km in thickness.
It was also revealed that the deposits were ice blocks, as they resembled radar signals seen in the polar caps of Mars, which are known to be rich in ice.
Andrea Cicchetti of Italy's National Institute of Astrophysics, who conducted the analysis, said, ``If the MFF is a mass of dust, we would expect it to be compressed more by its own weight.In that case, a much denser deposit would be created. 'We have modeled how different materials that do not contain ice behave, and none of them have been able to reproduce the properties of MFF, which means we need ice.'
'The latest analysis raises as many questions as answers about our understanding of the MFF,' said Colin Wilson, a scientist at the European Space Agency who works on projects such as Mars Express. How long ago were the deposits formed, and what was Mars like at that time?If confirmed to be water ice, the deposits could change our understanding of Mars' climate history. 'I think an 'ancient water reservoir' would be an attractive target for exploration.'
If the MFF's huge deposits were ice, the amount would be equivalent to the Red Sea on Earth, and if it melted, it would cover Mars at a depth of 1.5 to 2.7 meters. .
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