Unprecedentedly large reserves of ice have been found beneath the equator of Mars

The European Space Agency’s Mars Express orbiter has recorded huge reserves of ice on Mars, enough to cover the entire Red Planet with a shallow ocean if it melts.

The European Space Agency’s Mars Express orbiter has detected huge reserves of ice on Mars, enough to cover the entire Red Planet with a shallow ocean if it melts.

These ice deposits are located below Mars’ equator and extend to a depth of 3.5 kilometers. On top of the deposits is solidified ash and dust, hundreds of meters thick. It is important to note that these ice deposits are not a single clean block, they are made up of layers and are heavily contaminated. Scientists estimate that if all the ice deposits melted, Mars would be covered by a layer of water 1.5 to 2.7 meters deep. However, accessing these underground glaciers on Mars’ equator presents significant challenges for future missions from Earth.

Accessing these underground glaciers on Mars’ equator presents significant challenges for future missions from Earth.

Scientists attribute the origin of such huge amounts of ice to constant changes in Mars’ axis. It is believed that throughout the planet’s history, the tilt of the axes of its poles has changed in extraordinary ways. Currently, the poles of Mars are tilted 25 degrees relative to the ecliptic, but previously this angle varied from 10 to 60 degrees. During periods of severe tilt, when the poles are tilted closer to the Sun than the equator, significant amounts of frozen water can form on Mars’ equator.