Scientists have found a planet where they believe ancient oceans once flowed, massive volcanoes towered above the landscape, and mysterious structures are hidden beneath the surface. This isn’t some strange world in deep space — astronomers say these amazing discoveries are actually waiting for us on Mars!
A new study is giving us a peek beneath the Red Planet’s dusty exterior. The findings, presented at the Europlanet Science Congress in Berlin, reveal a treasure trove of dense, large-scale structures that have scientists scratching their heads.
“These dense structures could be volcanic in origin or could be compacted material due to ancient impacts,” explains Dr. Bart Root from Delft University of Technology, in a media release.
In other words, these hidden features could be the remnants of long-extinct volcanoes or the scars left by massive space rocks crashing into Mars billions of years ago. According to the researchers, however, that’s where things get really interesting.
“There are around 20 features of varying sizes that we have identified dotted around the area surrounding the north polar cap – one of which resembles the shape of a dog,” Dr. Root adds.
How did scientists spot these invisible marvels?
Researchers used a clever technique that measures tiny changes in the orbits of satellites circling Mars. These minuscule deviations are caused by variations in the planet’s gravity field, which in turn are influenced by the distribution of mass beneath the surface.
By combining this gravity data with information from NASA’s InSight mission about Mars’ crust and interior, the researchers created a global density map of the planet. This map revealed that the mysterious northern features are significantly denser than their surroundings – about 300-400 kilograms per cubic meter denser, to be precise.
The study didn’t just uncover hidden structures in the north. It also shed new light on one of Mars’ most famous features: Olympus Mons, the largest known volcano in our solar system.
Olympus Mons is part of a region called Tharsis Rise, a massive volcanic plateau that towers above the Martian landscape. Scientists have long wondered how such an enormous structure could exist, and this new research may have found the answer.
The team discovered evidence of a massive, low-density region deep within Mars, about 1,750 kilometers across and 1,100 kilometers below the surface. This blob of lighter material could be a enormous plume of molten rock, slowly rising towards the surface and giving the entire Tharsis region a “boost” upwards.
“The NASA InSight mission has given us vital new information about the hard outer layer of Mars,” Dr. Root explains. “This means we need to rethink how we understand the support for the Olympus Mons volcano and its surroundings. It shows that Mars might still have active movements happening inside it, affecting and possibly making new volcanic features on the surface.”
In other words, Mars might not be the geologically “dead” world we once thought it was. There could still be dynamic processes at work deep within the planet, shaping its surface and potentially even creating new volcanic features.
These exciting discoveries are just the beginning. Scientists are already planning new missions to explore Mars’ hidden wonders in even greater detail. One such proposal is the Martian Quantum Gravity (MaQuls) mission, which aims to map the planet’s gravity field with unprecedented precision.
“Observations with MaQuIs would enable us to better explore the subsurface of Mars. This would help us to find out more about these mysterious hidden features and study ongoing mantle convection, as well as understand dynamic surface processes like atmospheric seasonal changes and the detection of ground water reservoirs,” explains Dr. Lisa Wörner from the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
As scientists continue to unravel the mysteries of Mars, each new discovery brings us closer to understanding not just our neighboring planet but the formation and evolution of rocky worlds throughout the universe. From hidden “dog-shaped” structures to colossal volcanoes getting a boost from deep within, Mars continues to surprise and captivate us, proving that there’s still so much to learn about the Red Planet.
Source: https://studyfinds.org/hidden-structures-mars/?nab=0