Life on Mars? Scientists discover ‘oceans’ of water 12 miles beneath the Red Planet’s surface — and say they could harbor microbes

Scientists have discovered ‘oceans’ of water 19 kilometres below the surface of Mars that could potentially support life.

Seismic data from NASA’s Insight lander suggests deep, porous rocks filled with liquid water, which experts estimate could cover the entire Red Planet to a depth of about a mile.

But the underground reservoir is simply too deep to tap into with current technology, dashing hopes that it could help sustain future Martians.

It is known that the oceans on the surface of Mars disappeared more than three billion years ago.

The newly discovered water is found in tiny cracks and pores in the rocks in the middle of Mars’ crust, between 11 and 20 kilometers below the surface.

Seismic data from NASA’s Insight lander indicate deep, porous rocks filled with liquid water that experts predict could cover the entire Red Planet to a depth of about a mile.

Drilling a hole even a kilometer deep is a huge challenge, even on Earth.

The geophysicists say their findings, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, point to another promising place to look for life on Mars – if it can ever be reached.

The discovery also helps answer questions about the planet’s geological history.

Dr Vashan Wright from the University of California San Diego said: ‘Understanding the water cycle on Mars is critical to understanding the evolution of the planet’s climate, surface and interior.

‘A useful starting point is to determine where water is and how much water there is.’

Their analysis of seismic data led to the conclusion that there is a deep layer of fractured igneous rock – cooled magma – saturated with water.

Their analysis of seismic data led to the conclusion that there is a deep layer of fractured igneous rock – cooled magma – saturated with water (artist’s impression of Mars)

Co-author Professor Michael Manga said: ‘By establishing that there is a large reservoir of liquid water, we gain insight into what the climate was like in the past or might have been like.

‘And water is necessary for life as we know it. I don’t see why (the underground reservoir) isn’t a habitable environment.

‘It’s certainly true on Earth – deep, deep mines harbor life, the bottom of the ocean harbors life.

“We haven’t found any evidence of life on Mars, but we have at least found a place where life should in principle be possible.”

Professor Manga said there is a lot of evidence – riverbeds, deltas and lakes, as well as water-altered rocks – that supports the theory that water once flowed across the surface of Mars.

But that wet period ended more than three billion years ago, after Mars lost its atmosphere.

Planetary scientists have sent probes and landers to the Red Planet to find out what happened to the water.

They say that the frozen water in the polar caps of Mars cannot be the cause of all this. Also, it is not clear when it formed and whether there is or was life on the planet.

The new findings show that much of the water did not flow out into space, but instead ended up in the Earth’s crust.

The Insight lander was sent to Mars by NASA in 2018 to study the crust, mantle, core and atmosphere. The mission ended in 2022.