Layers of the South Pole of Mars
Explanation:
What lies beneath the layered south pole of Mars?
A
recent measurement with
ground-penetrating radar from ESA's
Mars Express satellite
has detected a bright reflection layer
consistent with an underground lake of
salty water.
The
reflection comes from about 1.5-km down but covers an area 200-km across.
Liquid water evaporates quickly from the surface of
Mars, but a briny
confined lake, such as implied by the radar reflection,
could last much longer and be a candidate to host life such as
microbes.
Pictured,
an
infrared, green, and blue image of the south pole of Mars taken by Mars Express in 2012 shows a complex
mixture of
layers of dirt,
frozen carbon dioxide, and
frozen water.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
