In a groundbreaking presentation at the 55th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in The Woodlands, Texas, scientists reported the discovery of a giant volcano and possible buried ice sheet in the eastern part of Mars’ volcanic region Tharsis, near the planet’s equator .

Imaged repeatedly by Mars-orbiting spacecraft since Mariner 9 in 1971, but eroded beyond recognition, the giant volcano has been in plain sight for decades at the edge of a heavily eroded labyrinth in one of Mars’ most famous regions. was hiding. Noctis Labyrinthus (Labyrinth of the Night) and monumental canyons Valles Marineris (Sailor’s Valleys).

The structure, which was previously called “Volcano Noctis” before its official name, is located at 7° 35′S, 93° 55′W. The huge size of the volcano and the complex history of its modification indicate that it has been active for a very long time. In the southeastern part there is a thin recently formed volcanic deposit beneath which glacial ice is probably still present.

This combined discovery of a giant volcano and a possible glacier within a glacier is significant because it points to an exciting new place to study Mars’ geological evolution over time, the search for life, and robotic and human exploration in the future.

Dr. D., a planetary scientist at the SETI Institute and the Mars Institute. “While investigating the geology of the area where we found the remains of a glacier last year, we realized that we were inside a huge and deeply eroded volcano,” said Pascal Li. . He is based at NASA Ames Research Center and is the study’s lead author.

Several clues put together betray the volcanic nature of the layered jumble of mountains and canyons in this eastern part of the Noctis Labyrinth. The central summit is marked by several high mountains that form an arc, reaching regional highs and sloping downwards from the summit area. The gentle outer slopes extend for 225 kilometers (140 mi) in various directions.

Caldera ruins, the remains of a collapsed volcanic crater that once contained a lava lake, can be seen near the center of the structure. Lava flows, pyroclastic deposits (consisting of volcanic solids such as ash, slag, pumice, and tephra), and hydrated mineral deposits occur in various areas within the structure’s perimeter.

“This region of Mars is known to have a wide variety of hydrated minerals spanning a long period of Martian history. These minerals have long been suspected to be of volcanic origin. So discovering a volcano here may not be too surprising,” they explained. Sourab Shubham, a graduate student in the Department of Geology at the University of Maryland and co-author of the study. “In a way, this great volcano is the long-awaited ‘smoking gun.’

The study reports that in addition to the volcano, a large volcanic sediment field of 5,000 square kilometers (1,930 square miles) was discovered around the volcano, representing numerous low, rounded and elongated bubble-like sediments. mounds. This “bubble terrain” has been interpreted as an area of ​​“rootless cones,” mounds formed by explosive vapor or inflation when a thin blanket of hot volcanic material rests on a water- or ice-rich surface. Source