The surface of Mars, especially in the mid latitudes are bumpy with broad lobes of material around especially the steep peaks spread over dozens of miles. For ages, it was thought by scientists that these bumps may be made of water ice. However, it was not evident as to what form it existed in.
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter with the help of radar surveys has brought forth new evidence now which shows that a thin layer of rocks and soil covering the lobes which are actually glacier like pure ice.
There is a possibility of the presence of enormous amounts of ice present in other places too apart from the poles. If such is the case, then human missions to Mars now has a convenient resource.
Several lobes present in the southern hemisphere located Hellas basin were aimed at by the radar instrument of the spacecraft which is ground penetrating. Two signals were reflected back, one from the surface and another from underneath it suggesting the presence of glaciers of ice.
According to researchers, millions of years ago, when the spin axis of Mars was more tilted, there could have been a lot of snow and the Hellas glaciers may have been formed then. At a certain point, there could have been movement of these sheets of ice which have survived having been buried in the debris.
According to Dr. John W. Holt, one of the lead study authors of the study from the University of Texas, this shows that huge glaciers of ice can effectively be preserved with just a thin layer of cover.
