A giant volcano has been found near Mars equator and we’ve missed it all this time, scientists reveal.
In a remarkable announcement at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference held in The Woodlands, Texas, scientists say they’ve discovered a giant volcano and a potential sheet of buried glacier ice on the Red Planet.
Situated in the eastern part of the rock, near the planet’s equator, it is deeply eroded and could have been why it’s only been recently discovered.
The volcano has been hiding in plain sight for decades in between the heavily fractured maze-like Labyrinth of the Night and canyons, Valleys of Mariner.
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Standing at 29,600 feet and 280 miles wide, the ginormous volcano reaches 900 meters high. Provisionally called Noctis Volcano, as it awaits its official name, scientists believe it has been active for a very long time. They also believe glacier ice still present beneath the volcanic deposit.
The discovery is significant because it provides a new location to study on the planet, as well as, potential signs for life.
Dr Pascal Lee, a planetary scientist with the SETI Institute and the Mars Institute based at NASA, was the lead author of the study.
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He said: “We were examining the geology of an area where we had found the remains of a glacier last year when we realized we were inside a huge and deeply eroded volcano.”
Sourabh Shubham, a graduate student at the University of Maryland’s Department of Geology said: “This area of Mars is known to have a wide variety of hydrated minerals spanning a long stretch of Martian history. A volcanic setting for these minerals had long been suspected. So, it may not be too surprising to find a volcano here.
“In some sense, this large volcano is a long-sought ‘smoking gun’.”
It’s believed the volcano has had a long history where its parameters have changed, either from fracturing, thermal erosion, or glacial erosion. Scientists suggest as fractures developed at the site, lavas rose through different parts, leading to thermal erosion removing buried ice, and entire sections collapsing.
However, not much is known about the volcano, including if it’s still active and if it may erupt once more.
Dr Lee added: “It’s really a combination of things that makes the Noctis volcano site exceptionally exciting. It’s an ancient and long-lived volcano so deeply eroded that you could hike, drive, or fly through it to examine, sample, and date different parts of its interior to study Mars’ evolution through time.
“It has also had a long history of heat interacting with water and ice, which makes it a prime location for astrobiology and our search for signs of life.
“Finally, with glacier ice likely still preserved near the surface in a relatively warm equatorial region on Mars, the place is looking very attractive for robotic and human exploration.”
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