Mars Could Submerge Under 5 Feet Water If Its Ice Melts

Astronomers have found a frozen water reservoir on Mars. The discovery was made using the ground-penetrating radar, as the scientists were able to understand that water lies under layers of sand beneath the ice cap in the north pole. The reservoir is said to have enough ice to submerge the entire planet if melted.

According to Gizmodo's report, the layer of ice is located in the northern cavi unit of the Red Planet. "This was a surprise even for us," said Stefano Nerozzi, the lead author of the research paper.

What Does The Layer Contain

Scientists believe that the layer comprises primarily of sand dunes and contains less than 50 percent water ice. These assumptions are based on visible outcrop observations which showed a large amount of dark sand and a much lesser amount of frozen water.

The study mentions that the radar scans point at a larger amount of water ice mix in the cavi unit. Apart from the two polar ice caps on Mars, this would be the third-largest water reservoir on the planet.

What If The Layer Melts

The horizontal slabs comprise water ice ranging from 61 to 88 percent by volume. This hints that the cavi unit is made of ice and not sand. If the ice melts in the future, it would cover the whole planet with a 5-feet-deep layer of water.

The Shallow Radar or SHARAD placed atop NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, was used to make these observations.

Previously, NASA released an image of the Martian surface capturing a landslide. The image was taken in the Cerberus region of the planet, which is near the Elysium Mons volcano. The image shows the Cerberus Fossae. These fissures are believed to be a result of the planet's crust tearing apart.

Life On Mars

Elon Musk already has plans to colonize Mars, and to accomplish this the company's rocket- the Starship will take people for a journey to the moon and Mars, and also for hour-long trips anywhere on Earth.