Mars' 'illusion oasis' led scientists astray for years?

A new study from the University of Texas (USA) nearly extinguishes the expectation of a life-world hidden under the Martian south pole that scientists around the world have been pursuing for the past few years.

In 2018, a study showed that under the Martian South Pole there could be a warm liquid lake, based on radar reflections observed under the ice cap of this region. After that, many other research groups followed the hypothesis, "scoured" this land and found many more signs to help strengthen the suspicion.

But new work from the University of Texas, funded by NASA, says it is just a "south pole mirage" with signals that are easily misinterpreted, according to the Daily Mail.

Mars South Pole may not have a lake but just an illusion oasis

They also used radar data that NASA collected from this area, compared it in detail with radar signals from other areas of Mars and concluded that the unusual luminous signals had made scientists People think that the lake is actually just volcanic rock. Similar data have been recorded in volcanic plains found elsewhere on the red planet.

In addition, they built virtual models from NASA-owned data of each region of Mars, adding across the surface an imaginary mile-thick ice sheet from which to observe the Martian terrain in great detail. through a virtual "ice lens". This will help compare features across the planet and see if each region matches another.

"For the water to remain close to the surface, a very salty environment is required and a strong heat source is generated locally, but that's not consistent with what we know about the area," - Dr. Cyril Grima, lead author of the study, said.

In addition to volcanic rock, the area may contain mineral deposits in already arid riverbeds. While not liquid water and an oasis of life as previously hoped, the researchers believe the land will provide important answers about the history of Mars.

The research aims to guide future field missions by NASA and space agencies around the world.