"Discovery of Vast Equatorial Ice Reserves Redefines Understanding of Martian Water"

The European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft has discovered a massive reserve of frozen water ice beneath Mars' equator, with enough water to cover the entire planet in an ocean at least 5 feet deep. The ice deposit, some 2.3 miles thick, is heavily contaminated by dust and topped by a crust of hardened ash and dry dust, but its low density and transparency indicate the presence of frozen water. This finding suggests that large quantities of water ice may have formed along the equator billions of years ago before being buried by volcanic ash, potentially offering a valuable resource for future human missions to Mars.