Significant Deposits Of Ice Have Been Found On Mars

The Trace Gas Orbiter of the ExoMars mission, organized by the European Space Agency and Roscosmos, discovered significant deposits of ice in the large canyon system of Mars – Mariner Valley.

Water hidden under the surface was detected by the device using the FREND instrument, which reflects the presence of hydrogen in the upper layer of the Martian soil.

Mainly, water exists on Mars in the form of ice and lies in the polar regions of the planet.

 Ice is not found on the surface near the equator because the temperatures here are not low enough for it to be stable.

According to scientists, the thickness of the ice belt, covered with a “crust” of hardened volcanic ash and dry dust, reaches 3.7 km. The ice is not crystal clear; it is heavily contaminated with dust. While the presence of ice near the equator makes it more accessible for future human expeditions, a layer of ice covering several hundred meters thick will make access much more difficult.

The MMF is thought to have formed over the last 3 billion years from lava flows and was then covered by a thick layer of volcanic ash. Today, the MMF is the most abundant source of dust for giant seasonal dust storms. New observations from the Mars Express MARSIS radar suggest that the Medusae Fossae formation contains more than just dust.

Since most future missions to Mars will take place at lower latitudes, the discovery of such a water reservoir is an exciting prospect for future research.

Thanks to the discovery of FREND, Mariner Valley becomes a promising site for human exploration of Mars.