Life on Mars? No — but possibly magma, according to report
Planet Mars in the Starry Sky of Solar System in Space. This image elements furnished by NASA.
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(NewsNation) — There’s no proof of life on Mars, but the planet could be home to molten lava, according to the findings of a new study.
Researchers who looked at NASA’s information collected by the agency’s InSight Mars lander said they observed what could be “the last remnants of (a) once active volcanic region,” or magma that is headed to “the next location of eruption,” Space.com reported, citing the Institute of Geophysics at ETH Zurich in Switzerland.
The researchers analyzed about 20 tremors that originated just north of the Mars equator and determined the quakes might have been formed by magma, Space.com reported.
Darker shades of dust photographed in that same region also are indicative of more recent volcanic activity, the outlet reported, quoting the study’s lead author.
Scientists have known that Mars was once volcanic, but it’s the study’s suggestion that magma might currently exist within the red planet that piqued their interest.
More research is needed to corroborate and further elaborate on the results.
The Daily Mail reported earlier this year that the best explanation for recorded Marsquakes could be ongoing volcanic activity underneath the planet’s surface.
Results from the new study, published Thursday in Nature Astronomy, suggest Mars saw volcanic activity within the past 50,000 years, which is considered recent by geological standards.
