Mars: Discovery of a giant volcano bigger than Everest

This ancient volcano, dormant but probably still active, was observed using data from some Mars orbiters.

Noctis, as it is named, is the seventh largest known volcano on the Red Planet’s surface.

A volcano bigger than Mount Everest has just been discovered on Mars. The Sleeping Giant, which rises to 9,022 meters and whose base extends over 250 kilometers, is located in the Martian region of Noctis Labyrinthus (“Labyrinth of Night” in French). It was observed by a team of researchers led by Pascal Lee, an internationally recognized planetary scientist working at the SETI Institute. Until then, everyone had missed the Noctis Volcano, despite its monumental size.

And for good reason: it was well camouflaged. In fact, the volcano is so eroded that it does not appear to be one at first glance. But that was regardless of the researchers’ insight. “This region of Mars is known for its wide variety of hydrated minerals spanning a long period of Martian history. The existence of volcanic environments for these minerals has long been suspected. So it is not surprising to find a volcano here“, Saurabh Shubham, a planetary geologist at the University of Maryland and co-author of this work, explains in a press release.

The volcano was discovered using data from several Mars orbiters, including NASA’s Viking and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiters, as well as the European Space Agency’s (Esa) Mars Express Orbiter.

Despite its XXL measurements, Noctis Mons (its scientific name) is not the largest Martian volcano. That too only seventh. On Earth, however, it would make Mount Everest – the tallest volcano on our planet, 6,893 meters – look like a small hill. Although it is falling into ruin, its geological structure retains many clues to its explosive past. Examining it, scientists identified at its center, the remains of a collapsed crater, which was once a lava lake. They also discovered arc formations, outlining the volcano’s conical shape.

The size of the volcano and the complexity of its surrounding terrain suggest that it has been active for a very long time. The team was also able to pinpoint an area of ​​nearly 5,000 square kilometers of volcanic deposits around it, testifying to its intense activity in the past. At the base of one part of the volcano, the team also discovered a large area filled with dunes. They believe that these cones may have formed when a layer of lava covered a surface rich in water or ice, corresponding to the presence of glacial deposits.

It is the combination of elements that makes the Noctis Volcano site exceptionally exciting.

Pascal Lee, astronomer at SETI

However, previous analyzes of the region have shown the presence of minerals that may have formed from a chemical reaction between molten volcanic rock and glacier ice. Rootless cones show similar signatures. This suggests that glacial ice may still be buried beneath the Martian Noctis labyrinthus region, subliminally protected by a blanket of volcanic rock. According to the lead author of the study, planetary scientist Pascal Li, it is possible that the Noctis volcano is still active, even if it is dormant.

• Also read

  Video – Perseverance Robot Films Tornado Pass on Mars

In other words, there may be heat beneath the surface. “In a sense, this great volcano is the long-sought ‘gun’“, says the scientist, in a press release. The heat and water from the remnants of the glacial ice could mean that the conditions necessary for life to emerge existed under Noctis labyrinthus, the scientist says.”It is the combination of elements that makes the Noctis Volcano site exceptionally exciting“, underlines the scientist. But to find out, we have to go directly to the site and investigate.