Scientists say they’ve found
significant deposits of water ice hiding extremely close to the surface of
Mars. This is a type of discovery that could be hugely beneficial for future
Mars exploration missions. The findings, published in the journal Science, were
led by Colin Dundas from the US Geological Survey in Arizona.
The discovery was made using
the HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) instrument on the Mars
Reconnaissance Orbiter. They found eight mid-latitude locations where
escarpments (or scarps), steep banks or cliffs that have been eroded away, had
exposed huge cross-sections of ice. In some of the regions, the ice was an
astonishing 100 meters (330 feet) thick, and it starts just 1 or 2 meters (3.3
to 6.6 feet) below the surface.
What's more, the ice appears
to be layered, not too dissimilar to sedimentary layers on Earth. This means
the sheets could show us different geological periods in the history of Mars.
“This gives us a much more
detailed window into the vertical structure of some Martian ice sheets, and
shows that they have only a thin debris cover and in some cases fine layers,”
Dundas told IFLScience.
“The key point is that there
are layered ice sheets on Mars that can be quite shallowly buried.”
 |
| Some of the exposed ice can be seen here in blue. Dundas et al/Science |
We already knew that Mars
has water ice, but this research highlights just how close some of that ice is
to the surface in mid-latitude regions on Mars. This could make it accessible
to future exploration missions, such as the European ExoMars rover in early
2021, which will include a drill that can go 2 meters (6.6 feet) under the
surface.
Breraking?
ReplyDeleteit's been eroded 'away'
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