Mars is still volcanically active, according to new research. An analysis of the Red Planet has identified the presence of molten lava.
Magma rising from deep underground could have melted ice near the surface, say scientists.
It would have provided favorable conditions for microbial life in the recent past.
“While there is much more to learn, the evidence of potential magma on Mars is intriguing.”
Says co-author Dr. Anna Mittelholz, a postdoctoral fellow at ETH Zurich and Harvard University, in a statement.
Eruptions are shaping the surface, forming parallel rifts known as graben. They pull the crust apart much like cracks that appear on top of a baking cake.
The findings are based on seismic data gathered by a scanner on board the InSight Lander.
The epicenters have been traced to a region called Cerberus Fossae, south east of the Elysium Mons volcanic complex.