Water on Mars: New study claims, there are no water lakes on Mars, soil deceives the eyes

Water on Mars: New study claims, there are no water lakes on Mars, soil deceives the eyes

Investigators cooled the smectites to -22 degrees Celsius, and at this temperature, when the water is higher than they are, it looks exactly as indicated by MARSIS.


The hopes of scientists involved in the search for biodiversity on Mars could be dashed. In fact, what was once thought to be a pool of water here could now be frozen clay. Research scientist Isaac Smith of the Planetary Science Institute says radar data taken in 2018 with the help of MARSIS on the European Space Agency Mars Express raises questions about the possible existence of water on Mars.


Smith says frozen clay can cause exposure to cryogenic temperatures. He says the amount of heat and salt needed to keep water in a liquid state seems to be, not water, but minerals called smectites. It is a type of volcanic clay and is abundant in Mars.


Investigators cooled the smectites to -22 degrees Celsius, and at this temperature, when the water is higher than they are, it looks exactly as indicated by MARSIS. In 2018, MARSIS discovered the existence of a body of water under the ice of the South Pole of Mars. Two years later, researchers discovered several salt lakes about 6 miles [6 km] away.


Smith says it is difficult to find liquid-like water, but many people, including Geoffrey Plott of NASA JPL, do not agree with him. He said in the original paper it was not proven that there was water and the new paper did not prove that there was no water but we were trying to combine the chances of reaching an agreement.