A recent discovery by ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft indicates the potential existence of a substantial subterranean ice deposit near Mars’ equator, which, if confirmed, could drastically alter our understanding of the planet’s hydrological history. This deposit, if composed of water ice, could envelop the planet with a layer of water up to 2.7 meters deep upon melting.
Investigating the Martian Equator
Although the presence of ice explains the unusual subterranean features observed, alternative theories propose that these could be immense concentrations of dust, albeit likely mixed with ice. The Mars Express has been circling Mars since 2003 and had previously studied the enigmatic Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF), which has characteristics that suggest icy deposits.
Further investigations by various spacecraft have detected subsurface ice in the region, and new data from Mars Express imply even deeper layers of ice, which could represent the most significant water reservoir ever identified in this area of Mars.
Implications and Mysteries of the Findings
The latest findings show thicknesses of up to 3.7 kilometers, which correspond to radar signals expected from layered ice, akin to those from Mars’s polar ice caps. This ice, if melted, would be sufficient to cover Mars in a deep watery layer and fill a basin comparable to Earth’s Red Sea.
The MFF’s windswept terrain comprises one of the most extensive dust deposits on Mars, and its features may have been shaped by explosive volcanism. Long-term spacecraft operations have allowed for repeated observations, providing valuable data for extended analysis.
New radar data suggests the MFF deposit may not be solely a vast mound of dust, as it lacks the expected density of such a feature. Instead, the data indicates a composite of dust and ice, shielded by a thick dust or ash layer. The presence of equatorial ice, if confirmed, poses questions about Mars’s past climate and offers an intriguing target for future exploration.
