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A new study leads researchers to conclude that there is an extensive amount of water in the interior of Mars.

Scientists find extensive water beneath the Martian surface

Mars (credit: NASA/JPL)

A new study leads researchers to conclude that there is an extensive amount of water in the interior of Mars–results vastly different from previous estimates.

This study, led by University of New Mexico scientist Francis McCubbin, analyzed Martian meteorites that originated from Mars’s mantle. Carnegie Institution investigator Erik Hauri explains:

We analyzed two meteorites that had very different processing histories. One had undergone considerable mixing with other elements during its formation, while the other had not. We analyzed the water content of the mineral apatite and found there was little difference between the two even though the chemistry of trace elements was markedly different. The results suggest that water was incorporated during the formation of Mars and that the planet was able to store water in its interior during the planet’s differentiation.

The research suggests that the volume of water within the Martian mantle is similar to the volume of water in Earth’s upper mantle. According to Phys.org, “the Martian mantle source from which the rocks were derived contained between 70 and 300 parts per million (ppm) water,” whereas Earth’s upper mantle “contains approximately 50-300 ppm water.” Hauri explains that there has been substantial evidence for the presence of liquid water on Mars’s surface, “so it’s been puzzling why previous estimates for the planet’s interior have been so dry. This new research makes sense and suggests that volcanoes may have been the primary vehicle for getting water to the surface.”

According to Phys.org, this new data raises “the possibility that Mars could have sustained life.”

The team’s research is published in the journal Geology.

About Jason McClellan

Jason McClellan is a UFO journalist and the producer/co-host of the web series Spacing Out! He is also the web content manager and staff writer for OpenMinds.tv, and a co-organizer and technical producer of the International UFO Congress. As a founding member of Open Minds, Jason served as a writer and editor for the now defunct Open Minds magazine. He has appeared on Syfy, NatGeo, and, most recently, he co-starred on H2's Hangar 1: The UFO Files. ------ Follow Jason on Twitter @acecentric and subscribe to Jason's updates on Facebook.