Marsquakes: A New Way to Discover Hidden Water Deep Underground on Mars

Penn State scientists are investigating the use of seismoelectric signals from marsquakes to identify deep underground water on Mars.

This technique, based on detecting electromagnetic fields generated by seismic waves, could provide new insights into Martian aquifers and water distribution.

Liquid water on Mars, if present today, might be buried too deeply for detection by traditional methods used on Earth. However, a new technique involving the analysis of marsquakes — earthquakes on Mars — might provide a breakthrough, suggest scientists from Penn State.

As quakes travel through underground aquifers, they generate electromagnetic signals. In a study published in JGR Planets, the researchers demonstrated how these signals could potentially reveal the presence of water several miles beneath Mars’ surface. Lead author Nolan Roth, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Geosciences at Penn State, believes this method could pave the way for analyzing future Mars mission data.