WASHINGTON -- Mars may be alive with active volcanoes, bolstering the prospect that life is firmly rooted on the red planet.
New data from instruments aboard the Mars Global Surveyor show evidence for ongoing volcanic activity, with geological features tied to recent floods. Both these volcanic and hydrologic events are young, and could perhaps still occur on Mars in the future.
This new evidence was presented late last week during the Geological Society of America's (GSA) annual meeting, held in Boston, Massachusetts.
Geologically speaking
Using images snapped by the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) camera, and the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) aboard the spacecraft, the Elysium and Amazonis Planitia regions of Mars have been extensively studied. These sites are thought to be young, geologically speaking. They are pegged at between 10 million to 100 million years of age, perhaps less.
Susan Sakimoto, a NASA Goddard Earth Science and Technology Center scientist in Greenbelt, Maryland, along with several research colleagues, reported that that new data reveals regionally extensive lava eruptions on Mars. Moreover, they believe that a strong case can be made for both volcanic and hydrologic features in those areas being young and related in origin.
"From the apparent age range of flows within the region, this is clearly a long-lived volcanic province," Sakimoto contends. "Future hydrologic and/or volcanic events are still conceivable."
Nice for life?
Past studies have shown some volcanic flows likely traveled over ice-rich ground. At least one flow originated from the long rift-type vents of the Cerberus Fossae on Mars. Also, recent floods originated from the vent system, perhaps depositing water in the shallow subsurface for later volcanic flows to interact with.
Sakimoto's work draws upon this previous research, and leads her to conclude, "These are absolutely beautiful examples of plains volcanism."
"Based on the convergence of fluvial and volcanic features in the topography, evidence for their interaction, their inter-linked deposits, flow model results of the eruption rates, and the episodic nature of the eruption style, and their youth," Sakimoto added, "it is clear to us that the potential for continuing eruptions in the next several tens of millions of years ought to be good."
Among the ramifications of the new discovery is a potential for ongoing thermal and water sources to sustain or start an environment compatible with life. This environment may have occurred in recent Martian geologic time, and could still be present today, according to Sakimoto.
Percolating story
"I am one of a growing number of planetary scientists who are starting to seriously think that Mars may well be still 'percolating' volcanically," Sakimoto told SPACE.com. The Cerberus Fossae/Elysium Basin region has apparently been erupting fairly periodically over at least the last hundred million years, up until the recent geologic past -- a few million years, she said.
The MGS data suggest that fluid floods -- most likely water -- have been released from the same set of vents, and their timing was probably intermingled with the volcanic flows, Sakimoto said.
"While we might have to wait several million years (or more) to catch another pulse of floods or lava, there seems little reason to think the region has recently shut down after 100-plus million years of sporadic activity," Sakimoto argued.
"So, I am using 'active' only in the Martian geology sense of the word. I do think there is a reasonably decent chance of them erupting again, but the time scales are most definitely geologic, rather than human," she concluded.
Numbers of Mars research groups are making valuable contributions to putting the puzzle pieces together, Sakimoto added, helping to create an interlocking picture of recent activity on Mars.
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