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Data from the measurements of Marsquakes, collected by a high-tech seismometer placed directly on the Martian surface by the Insight lander is apparently indicating that an oceans' worth of water is believed to be seven miles to 12 miles under the Martian crust. It could be enough water to cover Mar's surface under a global ocean a mile or so deep. The average depth of Earth's oceans is around 2-1/2 miles. The northern hemisphere of the Martian landscape is mostly flat plains around 4-1/2 miles lower than the Southern hemisphere which is mountainous and rough hilly terrain. The largest volcano in the solar system so far is located in the northern Martian hemisphere, it is 16 miles high.
There are questions about how the northern hemisphere got so flat. Perhaps it is a vast volcanic plain, or it was hit by a giant object which changed the landscape completely.
There are many possibilities concerning the water, starting with the layout of the ocean, if it was covering less of the surface it would be deeper. The water is thought to have seeped down from the surface. Originally there might have been a lot more water. The water might not have covered the entire surface. The Insight lander was in a permanent location, the northern hemisphere, close to the equator, so it's readings might not be indicative of what's under the entire surface.
There are vast freshwater reservoirs under the earth's oceans which are separate from the salt water oceans. Its possible that the water under the surface of Mars might be a separate source of water from the oceans that evaporated 3 billion years ago. It would be protected from what was happening on the surface.
There is life in Earth's deep underground aquifers, there could also be life in Earth's submarine aquifers that are under the ocean. This could make it likely that there could be life in the water under Mars surface. All the data from Mars is interpreted by computer programs. No telling if the water under Mar's surface is large connected bodies of water, vast collections of small deposits, or a mixture of both.
At this point, tunneling 7 miles under the Martian surface to get to the water is impossible except in science fiction stories. There might be areas where the water is close to the surface and could be reached by conventional means. An unlimited amount of water could be one step towards making Mars inhabitable. Great stuff for stories, living in an undersea world under the surface of Mars. There are plenty of stories of people discovering huge underground oceans deep under the Earth's crust, the same could be written about the future exploration of Mars.
There are questions about how the northern hemisphere got so flat. Perhaps it is a vast volcanic plain, or it was hit by a giant object which changed the landscape completely.
There are many possibilities concerning the water, starting with the layout of the ocean, if it was covering less of the surface it would be deeper. The water is thought to have seeped down from the surface. Originally there might have been a lot more water. The water might not have covered the entire surface. The Insight lander was in a permanent location, the northern hemisphere, close to the equator, so it's readings might not be indicative of what's under the entire surface.
There are vast freshwater reservoirs under the earth's oceans which are separate from the salt water oceans. Its possible that the water under the surface of Mars might be a separate source of water from the oceans that evaporated 3 billion years ago. It would be protected from what was happening on the surface.
There is life in Earth's deep underground aquifers, there could also be life in Earth's submarine aquifers that are under the ocean. This could make it likely that there could be life in the water under Mars surface. All the data from Mars is interpreted by computer programs. No telling if the water under Mar's surface is large connected bodies of water, vast collections of small deposits, or a mixture of both.
At this point, tunneling 7 miles under the Martian surface to get to the water is impossible except in science fiction stories. There might be areas where the water is close to the surface and could be reached by conventional means. An unlimited amount of water could be one step towards making Mars inhabitable. Great stuff for stories, living in an undersea world under the surface of Mars. There are plenty of stories of people discovering huge underground oceans deep under the Earth's crust, the same could be written about the future exploration of Mars.
