Mars once had rivers of magma under its crust
What's the story
Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, once had rivers of magma flowing under its crust, a new study has revealed. The surprising discovery increases the chances that life could have existed on Mars and expands the list of rocky planets that might have been habitable in the past. The research was conducted by scientists at the University of Oxford using data collected by NASA's InSight lander.
Research findings
Data on Mars's seismic activity analyzed
The InSight lander recorded seismic waves from meteorite impacts and Marsquakes, which the Oxford team analyzed.
They examined a mysterious boundary 24km beneath Mars's surface and concluded that it was likely formed by molten rock pooling deep underground and spreading sideways for long distances.
This discovery suggests that instead of isolated magma chambers, Mars has a more complex interconnected plumbing system under its volcanoes.
Habitability potential
Findings could reshape our understanding of planetary habitability
The discovery of these "magma highways" indicates that Mars's volcanic system was much more interconnected and complex than previously thought.
This complexity could have allowed the planet to recycle elements and create conditions for an atmosphere or even oceans, all without plate tectonics like Earth has.
The research suggests that rocky planets don't need moving plates to be habitable, opening up the possibility of more life-friendly worlds than we realized.