A team of scientists led by Penn State University suggests that marsquakes could potentially reveal the presence of liquid water deep underground on Mars. Traditional methods used on Earth may not be effective in detecting water on Mars, but by listening to seismic activity on the red planet, researchers believe they could uncover this hidden water source.
The study, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, proposes that seismic waves moving through aquifers deep underground on Mars could produce electromagnetic signals that indicate the presence of water miles below the surface. This innovative approach could revolutionize the search for water on the Martian landscape.
Nolan Roth, a doctoral candidate at Penn State and the lead author of the study, highlighted the significance of this research in the quest to uncover water on Mars. Roth emphasized that while there are theories suggesting Mars once had oceans, the current challenge lies in locating the water that may still exist in the planet’s subsurface.
On Earth, tools like ground-penetrating radar are commonly used to map subsurface water sources. However, these methods are limited in their effectiveness when trying to detect water at significant depths, similar to where water might be located on Mars. The researchers propose utilizing the seismoelectric method, a newer technique developed for non-invasive subsurface characterization, to address this challenge.
By analyzing electromagnetic fields generated when seismic waves pass through aquifers, scientists could potentially identify the depth, volume, location, and composition of water sources on Mars. This approach could provide valuable insights into the presence of current water reservoirs on the red planet.
Roth explained that the unique electromagnetic signals produced by marsquakes passing through water-rich layers could serve as indicators of active aquifers on Mars. This method offers a promising avenue for future Mars missions to explore and confirm the existence of liquid water beneath the Martian surface.
