Mars Water Mystery Deepens With Latest Groundwater Findings

Research indicates ancient Mars had minimal groundwater recharge, vastly differing from Earth’s water dynamics, affecting our understanding of its climate and aiding future Mars missions.

Mars was once a wet world. The geological record of the Red Planet shows evidence for water flowing on the surface – from river deltas to valleys carved by massive flash floods.

But a new study shows that no matter how much rainfall fell on the surface of ancient Mars, very little of it seeped into an aquifer in the planet’s southern highlands.