The red planet continues to surprise us! In a recent study, scientists announced that they had identified a massive volcano on Mars and a probable sheet of buried glacier ice in the eastern section of the planet’s Tharsis volcanic area near the equator. The momentous news was delivered at the 55th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in The Woodlands, Texas. Since the launch of Mariner 9 in 1971, spacecraft circling Mars have captured numerous images. However, a massive volcano that had been heavily eroded was difficult to view properly. It sat right there for decades, sandwiched between two famous spots on Mars: the tangled Noctis Labyrinthus and the massive canyons of Valles Marineris.
The huge volcano has an elevation of +9,022 meters and a breadth of 450 kilometers. The volcano is now known as “Noctis Volcano” while awaiting an official name. The volcanic structure on the red planet’s surface is located at 7° 35′ S, 93° 55′ W. The volcano’s massive size and complicated history of change suggest that it has been active for a long period. Scientists discovered a recent volcanic deposit in the volcano’s southeastern region, as well as glacial ice beneath it. This combined discovery of a big volcano and possible glacial ice is highly significant since it opens up a new domain for academics and experts to investigate Mars, which may be a new place of life and space exploration in the future.
Researchers believe the volcano is a massive shield made up of stratified accumulations of pyroclastic materials, lavas, and ice
“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,” said Dr. Pascal Lee, a planetary scientist with the SETI Institute and the Mars Institute based at NASA Ames Research Center, and the lead author of the study. Scientists also found a caldera remnant near the centre of the volcanic structure, which further encourages the fact that this volcano has been active in recent years. Caldera remnants are typically the remains of a collapsed volcanic crater once a hot lava lake.
In addition to the volcano, the study describes the discovery of a huge, 5000-kilometer region of volcanic deposits within its boundaries. This “blistered terrain” is thought to be a field of “rootless cones,” which are mounds formed by explosive steam venting or steam swelling when a thin blanket of hot volcanic debris lands on top of a water or ice-rich surface. According to study experts, the Noctis Volcano has a lengthy history of modification caused by a combination of phenomena such as fracturing, thermal erosion, and glacial erosion. Researchers believe the volcano is a massive shield made up of stratified accumulations of pyroclastic materials, lavas, and ice, the latter caused by recurrent snow and glacier buildups on its slopes throughout time.
As scientists continue to be fascinated by the mysteries surrounding the Noctis volcano, the site is quickly developing as an interesting new area to study Mars’ geologic evolution, hunt for life, and plan future robotic and human exploration. The occurrence of glacier ice at shallow depths near the equator suggests that humans may be able to explore a less chilly area of the planet while still extracting water for hydration and producing rocket fuel.