Scientists discover relict glacier near Mars' equator

Scientists have discovered a relict glacier near Mars' equator, raising the possibility that water ice may exist at shallow depths in the area even today. This discovery implies that the recent history of the Red Planet may have been more watery than previously thought, which could have significant implications for future science and human exploration.

Located in Eastern Noctis Labyrinthus, the relict glacier, estimated to be 6 kilometres long and up to 4 kilometres wide, is one of many light-toned deposits (LTDs) found in the region. LTDs on Mars mainly consist of light-colored sulfate salts, but this deposit also shows many of the features of a glacier, including crevasse fields and moraine bands, according to the researchers.

"What we've found is not ice, but a salt deposit with the detailed morphologic features of a glacier. What we think happened here is that salt formed on top of a glacier while preserving the shape of the ice below, down to details like crevasse fields and moraine bands," said Dr Pascal Lee, a planetary scientist with the SETI Institute and the Mars Institute, and the lead author of the study.

Light-toned deposits on Mars have been of great interest to planetary scientists, as they are believed to hold clues to the planet's geological history and the potential for past or present habitable environments.

It is yet to be determined if water ice is still present beneath the light-toned deposit or if it has completely vanished.

"We now have to determine if, and how much, water ice might actually be present in this relict glacier, and whether other light-toned deposits might also have, or have had, ice-rich substrates," Lee said.

The announcement was made at the 54th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference held in The Woodlands, Texas. More details about the study can be found here.