Mars's latest mystery. Vast hidden ice reserves could equal Earth's Red Sea

Mars' surface may seem devoid of life, yet it hides fascinating mysteries beneath its rocky exterior. In 2018, the Mars Express mission identified deposits of frozen saltwater at the planet's pole.

Additional water deposits may be hidden on the nearby planet. Scientists are particularly interested in the Medusae Fossae formation, an expansive geological formation stretching over 3100 miles along the equator of Mars.

In 2007, unusual deposits roughly 1.6 miles thick were discovered within the Medusae Fossae formation. However, their origin remained unknown. This area was recently revisited and analysed using the latest data from the MARSIS radar, a component of the Mars Express mission.

Geologist Thomas Watters from the Smithsonian Institution posits that these deposits are even larger than initially suspected, measuring approximately 2.3 miles in thickness. These formations tower several miles high and have been shaped by violent winds whipping across the Martian surface.

Considering the degree of dust contamination found within the Medusae Fossae formation, the deposits could consist of numerous elements. These include buried dust, volcanic material, deposits from more humid epochs in the planet's past, or, most intriguingly, water ice.

New research findings suggest the presence of a layer of dust and ice, topped by a protective layer of dry dust or ash several hundred meters thick. This finding suggests the existence of huge sections of buried water ice underneath the planet's surface, several miles thick. If this theory proves accurate, it would be the largest amount of water ever discovered in this part of Mars—enough to fill Earth's Red Sea.

The size and location of these deposits are key to our future exploration of Mars. Future missions will need to land near the Martian equator, far from the icy polar caps or glaciers at high latitudes.

Manned missions to Mars will require locating water deposits. However, the issue lies in the fact that these deposits in the Medusae Fossae formation are buried under hundreds of meters of dust, rendering them unreachable for several decades at least.