Scientists said that discovered a couple of years ago, subglacial lakes of liquid water under the south pole of Mars may in fact be hydrated deposits that contain clay.
In a study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, it is said that the data was established using satellite images of the automatic interplanetary station of the European Space Agency Mars Express and laboratory experiments.
It is noted that at the south pole of the Red Planet there are accumulations of layered deposits, rich in water ice, their thickness is estimated at several kilometers. According to the researchers, they were formed in the last 10-100 million years and may indicate the climatic evolution of Mars.
Observations of the orbiter in 2018 showed that at a depth of 1.5 km under the South Plateau there are several lakes that could have formed due to volcanic activity. Apparently, they are composed of a water-based brine, scientists say.
Planetary researchers are still debating the interpretation of bright areas on radar images at the interface between ice-rich sediment and substrate.
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