New findings from Mars studies indicate that the Red Planet’s early history may have been more volcanically and tectonically active than previously thought.
A team of planetary scientists, utilizing data from spacecraft including the Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, identified 63 previously undiscovered examples of various volcanoes in the Eridania region of Mars.
Situated in the planet’s southern hemisphere, the Eridania region stands out due to its unique properties, deviating from the rest of the Martian highlands. Unlike Earth today, Mars experiences minimal volcanic or tectonic activity, making the findings particularly intriguing.
The landscape of the Eridania region appears to have been shaped by crustal changes rather than forces from above or below, providing insights into the early geological history of Mars.
The region once hosted the Eridania paleolake, and the research suggests that long-lived volcanic sources next to abundant water may have fueled hydrothermal systems conducive to nurturing life. On Earth, crustal recycling is a consequence of plate tectonics, a process largely absent on Mars today.
The observed volcanic features on Mars, including volcanic domes, stratovolcanoes, pyroclastic shields, and caldera complexes, indicate a type of geological activity known as vertical tectonics. This process involves land shifting upwards, causing uplift and subsidence, and serves as a precursor to the plate tectonics seen on Earth.
Mars’ Similarity to Earth’s Early Stages
Aster Cowart, a planetary geologist at the Planetary Science Institute and a member of the research team, emphasized the importance of these findings. The crustal changes observed on Mars are analogous to a critical step in Earth’s evolutionary pathway towards plate tectonics over 2.5 billion years ago.
Cowart explained that, before the development of plate tectonics on Earth, uniform crust composition, rigidity, and buoyancy hindered the recycling of crust back into the mantle.
However, the slow incorporation of water into the deeper crust layers caused mineral transformations, increasing crust density. This eventually led to a process called ‘sagduction,’ where water-rich minerals pushed downwards, forming buoyant magmas that caused other regions of the crust to rise upwards.
The Eridania region on Mars exhibits similar features, reflecting a landscape shaped by pre-plate tectonic processes.
The findings contribute valuable insights into the geological evolution of Mars, offering parallels to Earth’s early stages of tectonic activity. As space exploration continues, such revelations deepen our understanding of the planets in our solar system and their complex histories.
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