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Mars more active than expected, hints of lava plumes

2022-12-09T09:16:25.356Z


Evidence of the existence of plumes in the mantle discovered on Mars, a sort of jets of magma rising from the depths of the planet and reaching the surface: it is proof that the red planet is geologically more active than previously thought (ANSA )


Discovered on Mars the clues of the existence of plumes in the mantle, a sort of jets of magma rising from the depths of the planet and reaching the surface: it is proof that the red planet is geologically more active than previously thought.

The discovery, from the University of Arizona, is published in the journal Nature Astronomy

We know that the Earth is constantly shaped by its geological activity, with large masses of magma rising from the deepest layers towards the surface, large masses of magma and hot materials causing movement of the outer crust.

It is a very different geological vitality from that of Mars, where it was believed that internal activity had now ceased billions of years ago.

And yet, albeit in a reduced form, in recent years more and more clues have been emerging which would demonstrate that Mars still has its own geological vitality: after the various earthquakes recorded by the Insight mission, equipped with a sensitive seismograph, now American researchers have found the possible signs of mantle plumes, geological structures that lead to the formation of large volcanoes on Earth.

The clues of this plume, a sort of bubble of magma rising from the depths, are the vast series of fractures in the area called Cerberus Fossae, visible in the area of ​​Elysium Planitia.

Here a previous study had also identified the remains of a small recent volcanic eruption.

According to the authors of the research, the fractures would be an unequivocal sign of an ascent of large masses of magma from the depths with dynamics very similar to those of terrestrial plumes.

Source: ansa

All tech articles on 2022-12-09

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