The elements for alien bugs to live underground may be present in a gigantic column of molten rock that is 2,5000 miles wide and was discovered beneath Mars’ northern plains.
Scientists from The University of Arizona’s Lunar & Planetary Laboratory made the revelation on Monday. They contend that the rocks produce methane and hydrogen, which might be used as energy by current microbial life.
Scientists See Significant Similarities Between Earth And Mars
The team also notes that bacteria flourish in similar conditions on Earth and hypothesizes that this might also be the case on Mars.
The molten rock not only provides a haven for life but also explains why marsquakes are observed close to the Cerberus Fossae, which is home to the Elysium Planitia volcanic complex.
The new study adds more proof that the Martian world is very much alive, according to SWS. Mars is commonly thought of as a frigid, lifeless wasteland that has been dead for billions of years.
Under the placid, deceiving surface, earthquakes and volcanic explosions are occurring. The team claimed that the investigated location had seen floods of liquid water in its recent geologic history, however, the cause has remained a mystery. This could explain how life could be thriving below.
The researchers used orbital data and geophysical computer models to study the Cerberus Fossae fissure system, which shows signs of recent volcanic surface deposits dating as recent as 5,000 years.
Within the 800-mile-long Cerberus Fossae, the Elysium Mons volcanic complex contains molten lava and is the source of the planet’s marsquakes.
The scientists made use of information gathered by NASA’s Insight rover, which made its maiden landing on Mars in 2018 and has since discovered a vast number of marsquakes beneath the Martian surface.
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Could There Be Living Creatures?
After recently determining that almost all marsquakes originate from this area, the Insight team published their findings in October. These findings demonstrated that magma ejected from a volcano within the previous 50,000 years might flow deeply into the Martian surface.
Since plate tectonics are typically linked to earthquakes and volcanic activity on Earth, but not on Mars, the scientists hypothesized that the occurrences are caused by a mantle plume.
Giant warm, buoyant rock blobs known as mantle plumes rise from the planet’s interior and push through the mantle, the planet’s intermediate layer, to the crust’s base, where they cause earthquakes, faulting, and volcanic eruptions.
When the researchers examined Elysium Planitia’s features in greater detail, they found that the surface had been raised by more than one mile, which is compatible with the mantle plume’s internal structure.
Additionally supporting the concept that something pushed the surface up after the craters formed is the finding from different observations that the floor of impact craters is inclined in the direction of the plume.
The team finally used a tectonic model of the region after concluding that there was a plume, which revealed the existence of a massive plume 2,500 miles wide. The presence of an active plume will have an impact on how the seismic data from InSight is interpreted because it makes this region significantly out of the ordinary for Mars.
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