Scientists reveal glaciers on Mars

Published on Thursday 20 November 2008 22:29

VAST glaciers of ice have been discovered near the equator of Mars.

Buried under rocky debris, the glaciers are up to half a mile thick and skirt the edges of mountains and cliffs.

Scientists believe they may be remnants of an ice sheet that once covered the planet's mid-latitudes.

Samples drilled out of the ice could provide a record of life, as have similar glaciers in Antarctica.

Large deposits of frozen water have already been found around the Martian poles. Scientists now know that enormous reserves of water exist in other regions of the planet. The hidden glaciers, which extend for tens of miles from areas of high ground, were uncovered by ground-penetrating radar carried on the American space agency Nasa's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Dr John Holt, a geoscientist, said: "Just one of the features we examined is three times larger than the city of Los Angeles."