A giant volcano taller than Mount Everest has been discovered on Mars, which had been hiding in plain sight for decades in one of Mars’ most iconic regions.
The volcano is located at the boundary between the heavily fractured maze-like Noctis Labyrinthus (Labyrinth of the Night) and the monumental canyons of Valles Marineris (Valleys of Mariner).
The volcano sits on the eastern edge of a broad regional topographic rise called Tharsis, home to three other well-known giant volcanoes: Ascraeus Mons, Pavonis Mons, and Arsia Mons.
The massive structure spans over 9,022 meters in elevation, higher than the highest peak, Mount Everest on Earth, which is 8,849 meters tall. The volcano is spread in a huge area with a width of over 450 kilometres.
Scientists have said that the volcano was active for a very long time on the Red Planet, and in its southeastern part lies a thin, recent volcanic deposit beneath which glacier ice is likely still present.
“We were examining the geology of an area where we had found the remains of a glacier last year when we realised we were inside a huge and deeply eroded volcano,” said Dr Pascal Lee, lead author of the study.
The structure has been observed since 1971 by several orbiting spacecraft around the planet. Researchers said that the central summit area is marked by several elevated mesas forming an arc, reaching a regional high and sloping downhill away from the summit area. The gentle outer slopes extend out to 225 kilometres (140 miles) away in different directions.
Meanwhile, the caldera remnant – the remains of a collapsed volcanic crater once host to a lava lake – can be seen near the centre of the structure.
“This area of Mars is known to have a wide variety of hydrated minerals spanning a long stretch of Martian history. A volcanic setting for these minerals had long been suspected. So, it may not be too surprising to find a volcano here,” explained Sourabh Shubham, the study’s co-author.
The team also discovered a 5,000 square kilometre area of volcanic deposits within the volcano’s perimeter presenting a large number of low, rounded and elongated, blister-like mounds.
Shambhu Kumar is a science communicator, making complex scientific topics accessible to all. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
