WASHINGTON, March 17 (Alliance News): A fresh analysis of seismic data from NASA’s InSight lander has revealed compelling new evidence suggesting the presence of liquid water deep beneath the surface of Mars.
The findings strengthen the possibility that water still exists in the planet’s subsurface, a crucial factor in the search for extraterrestrial life.
According to a report by Space.com, researchers first proposed in 2024 that a vast underground layer of liquid water might be present between 7.1 and 12.4 miles (11.5 to 20 kilometers) below the Martian surface.
This hypothesis was based on the behavior of seismic waves detected during marsquakes. Now, a new study led by Ikuo Katayama of Hiroshima University and Yuya Akamatsu of the Research Institute for Marine Geodynamics in Japan provides additional support for this theory.
“Many studies suggest the presence of water on ancient Mars billions of years ago,” Katayama stated. “But our model indicates the presence of liquid water on present-day Mars.”
The research relies on seismic data collected by the SEIS (Seismic Experiment for the Interior Structure) instrument, which was part of the InSight mission that operated between 2018 and 2022.
SEIS was the first seismometer deployed on Mars, capable of detecting three types of seismic waves—P-waves, which travel like sound waves; S-waves, which oscillate perpendicular to their direction of motion; and surface waves, which move across the Martian crust like ripples in water.
These seismic readings suggest that water could still be present in the Martian subsurface, challenging previous assumptions that the planet had lost most of its water over time.
The discovery could have profound implications for future Mars exploration and the ongoing search for signs of life beyond Earth.
