Revised : 30 Apr 2023

This rainbow-colored map shows possible underground water ice on Mars. Cool colors represent less than one foot (30 centimeters) below the surface; warm colors are over two feet (60 centimeters) deep.

Sprawling black zones on the map represent areas where a landing spacecraft would sink into fine dust.

This subterranean ice sheet is near in the southern region of Arcadia Planitia, a smooth plain located in Martian northern lowlands. The terrain features are indicative of glaciers and glacial activity.

In addition to being the ideal region to send astronauts to dig up water ice, these frozen resources could be useful for scientific research, especially if it is massive ice, the type of stratified ice that forms in glaciers.

That's because massive ice is sort of a layered record of a planet’s climate, and would capture the past climactic patterns on Mars. This would give researchers access to some crucial datapoints - a planet having an atmosphere, with a water cycle, but without an ocean.

Looking at the evolution of Mar's climatic past may also helps scientists benchmark Earth's own climate model.

1. Widespread Shallow Water Ice on Mars at High Latitudes and Mid Latitudes.
2. NASA's 'Treasure Map' of Water Ice on Mars Shows Where Humans Should Land in space.com.
3. Mars' Missing Water at PhysicsForum.
4. Mid-latitude glaciers on Mars could supply water to human explorers at phys.org.