Mars may be volcanically active, say scientists who have linked evidence of gases often produced by magma with photographs of fresh fissures found on the surface of the Red Planet. The findings could be interpreted as good news in the hunt for life, as a continuous heat source would be needed to keep microorganisms safe from frigid temperatures on the surface.
Scientists have seen evidence of volcanoes on Mars in the past few million years and seismic activity has hinted that some may still be active, but no evidence of lava flows or current eruptions had previously been found.
In 2019, the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter detected evidence of hydrogen chloride (HCl) in Mars’s atmosphere. That gas is commonly associated with magmatic vents on Earth, and researchers wondered if the same was true on Mars.
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To investigate further, at the Polish Academy of Sciences and his colleagues looked at the little data available – just 15 recorded instances of the gas – alongside newly taken photographs of the surface. They were able to link recent, narrow fissures in the Alba Mons region of Mars to the HCl emissions, providing strong evidence of underground lava flow.
To assess whether the HCl could have come from the fissures, the team modelled the wind direction at the time the measurements were taken.
“We have 2 kilometres of wind between them, and in this season there are a lot of dust devils. So, the atmosphere is turbulent. It’s an enormous mess,” says Mège.
at the University of Bern, Switzerland, another team member, stresses that until the area is investigated up-close, there will always be doubt about the source of the gas. But, he argues, this finding makes the case for further surface exploration of Mars.
“Suspicion is one thing, proof is better, right?” says Thomas. “I’m a terrible sceptic. Until you put something down there and you actually sniff the stuff coming out of the ground, you haven’t got unambiguous proof.”
Thomas thinks the finding makes the prospects for life on Mars more likely. “We know that Mars, even at the equator, can be −70°C, −80°C at night. It’s a very harsh environment,” he says. “If this thermal source were constant and continuous, then you have to admit it’s improving the situation [in terms of the hunt for life].”
“This is definitely a highly interesting finding,” says at the Free University of Berlin. “Many scientists working on Mars will not be too surprised, as the picture of a ‘dead’ Mars was inconsistent with many recent research findings.”
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