Signs of Subsurface 'Alien' Life Found In Antarctica

astroengine writes: An airborne survey of a presumably dry Antarctic valley revealed a stunning and unexpected interconnected subsurface briny aquifer deep beneath the frozen tundra, a finding that not only has implications for understanding extreme habitats for life on Earth, but the potential for life elsewhere in the solar system, particularly Mars. The briny liquid — about twice as salty as seawater — was discovered about 200 miles underground in a region known as Taylor Valley. The aquifer is widespread, extending from the Ross Sea's McMurdo Sound more than 11 miles into the eastern part of valley. A second system was found connecting Taylor Glacier with the ice-cover Lake Bonney. But the survey, which covered 114 square miles, may have just uncovered the proverbial tip of the iceberg.

Comments

Re:200 miles underground is really deep!

[Shooter6947]

far deeper in fact, than we've ever cored. That number must be wrong -- I'm guessing it should read 200m. It's in the original story, I know, but it just can't be right.

Re:200 miles underground is really deep!

[olsmeister]

Yeah, 200m. Go to the source.

Re:200 miles underground is really deep!

[Anonymous Coward]

far deeper in fact, than we've ever cored. That number must be wrong -- I'm guessing it should read 200m. It's in the original story, I know, but it just can't be right.

It's worse than that. The origional article says 350m. 200 miles is about 350 kilometers, so I think they confused m and km and then converted to miles.

Metres not Miles

[OzPeter]

LInk to the original publication: Deep groundwater and potential subsurface habitats beneath an Antarctic dry valley