Water on Mars facts for kids
There is less water on Mars compared to Earth. Most of the water known is in the cryosphere (permafrost and polar caps). There is no liquid water. There is only a small amount of water vapor in the thin atmosphere.
The conditions on the planet's surface do not support the long-term existence of liquid water. The average atmospheric pressure and temperature are far too low, which freezes water. However, it seems Mars once had liquid water flowing on the surface. This would make large areas like Earth's oceans.
There are a number of signs of water on or under the surface, now or in the distant past. These include stream beds, polar caps, spectroscopic measurement, eroded craters. Also, there are minerals which are often formed when there is liquid water (such as goethite), grey, crystalline hematite, phyllosilicates, opal, and sulfate.
The Mars flybys such as Viking, Mars Odyssey, Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Express, and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter had cameras. They took pictures of what seem to be ancient lakes, ancient river valleys, and widespread glaciation. An orbiting Gamma Ray Spectrometer found ice just under the surface of much of the planet. Also, radar studies found ice that were thought to be glaciers. The Phoenix lander showed ice on Mars when it was landing. Phoenix also showed ice melting, snow falling, and even saw drops of liquid water.
A recent report says Martian dark streaks on the surface were affected by water.
Water found by probes
Many Mars flybys and probes have found evidence of water on planet Mars. Mariner 9 found water erosion and deposition, weather fronts and fogs. Viking 2 landed on Mars in its winter season and found frost. The Mars Global Surveyor, which could detect ancient water, found that Mars has been dry for a very long time. On December 6, 2006 NASA released photos of two craters called Terra Sirenum and Centauri Montes that showed liquid water at one point in 1999 and 2001. Pathfinder found that water existed before on Mars. Pathfinder confirmed that where it landed it is too cold for liquid water to be. However, water could be in its liquid state if it were mixed with various salts. Pathfinder also found evidence of clouds and maybe fog present in Mars. Mars Odyssey found much more evidence for water on Mars. The pictures taken by Odyssey confirmed that the ground is filled with ice. In July 2003, at a conference in California, it was said that the Gamma Ray Spectrometer (GRS) onboard the Mars Odyssey had found large amounts of water over large areas of Mars. Mars has enough ice just below the surface to fill Lake Michigan twice.
Liquid water found on Mars
On August 4, 2011, NASA said they found seasonal changes. These changes were found in gullies near crater rims on the Southern hemisphere. This shows that there is salty water flowing and then evaporating. This leaves some sort of residue.
The Mars Ocean Hypothesis is a hypothesis that nearly a third of the surface of Mars was once covered by an ocean earlier in its history. The ocean, which is called Oceanus Borealis, would have filled the Vastitas Borealis basin in the northern hemisphere. The Vastitas Borealis is 4–5 km (2.5–3 miles) miles below the planetary elevation. Oceanus Borealis dried up 3.8 billion years ago. Early Mars would need a warmer climate and thicker atmosphere to let liquid water stay at the surface.
Images for kids
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Mariner 4 acquired this image showing a barren planet (1965).
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History of water on Mars. Numbers represent how many billions of years ago.
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Mars meteorite ALH84001.
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Kasei Valles—a major outflow channel—seen in MOLA elevation data. Flow was from bottom left to right. Image is approx. 1600 km across. The channel system extends another 1200 km south of this image to Echus Chasma.
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Inverted stream channels in Antoniadi Crater. Location is Syrtis Major quadrangle.
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Delta in Eberswalde crater.
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Layers may be formed by groundwater rising up gradually.
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The preservation and cementation of aeolian dune stratigraphy in Burns Cliff in Endurance Crater are thought to have been controlled by flow of shallow groundwater.
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Warm-season flows on slope in Newton Crater.
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Group of deep gullies.
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The Mars Global Surveyor acquired this image of the Martian north polar ice cap in early northern summer.
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Site of south polar subglacial water body (reported July 2018).
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A cross-section of underground water ice is exposed at the steep slope that appears bright blue in this enhanced-color view from the MRO. The scene is about 500 meters wide. The scarp drops about 128 meters from the level ground. The ice sheets extend from just below the surface to a depth of 100 meters or more.
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View of a 5-km-wide, glacial-like lobe deposit sloping up into a box canyon. The surface has moraines, deposits of rocks that show how the glacier advanced.
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Reull Vallis with lineated floor deposits. Location is Hellas quadrangle
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A ridge interpreted as the terminal moraine of an alpine glacier. Location is Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.
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Dry channels near Warrego Valles.
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Mars before and after/during the 2018 global dust storm
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North polar layered deposits of ice and dust.
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Carl Sagan with a model of a Viking lander.
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Meander in Scamander Vallis, as seen by Mars Global Surveyor. Such images implied that large amounts of water once flowed on the surface of Mars.
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Streamlined islands in Maja Valles suggest that large floods occurred on Mars.
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Map showing the distribution of hematite in Sinus Meridiani. This data was used to target the landing of the Opportunity rover that found definite evidence of past water.
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Inner channel (near top of the image) on floor of Nanedi Valles that suggests that water flowed for a fairly long period. Image from Lunae Palus quadrangle.
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Complex drainage system in Semeykin Crater. Location is Ismenius Lacus quadrangle
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Blocks in Aram showing a possible ancient source of water. Location is Oxia Palus quadrangle.
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Permafrost polygons imaged by the Phoenix lander.
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View underneath Phoenix lander showing water ice exposed by the landing retrorockets.
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Close-up of a rock outcrop.
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Hematite spherules.
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Springs in Vernal Crater, as seen by HIRISE. These springs may be good places to look for evidence of past life, because hot springs can preserve evidence of life forms for a long time. Location is Oxia Palus quadrangle.
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Layers on the west slope of Asimov Crater. Location is Noachis quadrangle.
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"Hottah" rock outcrop – an ancient streambed discovered by the Curiosity rover team (September 14, 2012) (close-up) (3-D version).
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The blue region of low topography in the Martian northern hemisphere is hypothesized to be the site of a primordial ocean of liquid water.
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Close view of wall of triangular depression, as seen by HiRISE layers are visible in the wall. These layers contain ice. The lower layers are tilted, while layers near the surface are more or less horizontal. Such an arrangement of layers is called an "angular unconformity."
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Impact crater that may have formed in ice-rich ground, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program Location is the Ismenius Lacus quadrangle.
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Close view of impact crater that may have formed in ice-rich ground, as seen by HiRISE under HiWish program. Note that the ejecta seems lower than the surroundings. The hot ejecta may have caused some of the ice to go away; thus lowering the level of the ejecta.
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Map of near surface ice
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See also
In Spanish: Presencia de agua en Marte para niños
