Equatorial Glacier Found on Mars Raises Hope for Human Exploration

Scientists have discovered a relict glacier near the equator of Mars, indicating the presence of surface water ice on the planet in recent history. The glacier is estimated to be 6 kilometers long and up to 4 kilometers wide, with a surface elevation ranging from +1.3 to +1.7 kilometers. The discovery suggests the potential existence of ice at shallow depths in the region, which could have crucial implications for future human exploration. The glacier's fine-scale features, its associated sulfate salts deposit, and the overlying volcanic materials are all very sparsely cratered by impacts and must be geologically young, likely Amazonian in age, the latest geologic period which includes modern Mars.