Shocking discovery of hidden structures beneath the surface of Mars

Combined data from multiple Mars probes has revealed dense, large-scale structures beneath an ancient ocean floor.

According to Science Alert, a group of scientists led by Dr. Bart Root from Delft University of Technology (Netherlands) presented a new gravity map of Mars at the Europlanet Science Congress 2024. Some strange structures appeared on this map.

It is a series of dense , large-scale structures beneath the long-lost ocean in the northern hemisphere of the red planet.

Some strange structures lurk beneath the surface of Mars - (Photo: DELFT UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY).

These structures have been revealed bit by bit through data sets the team has compiled from multiple spacecraft, the biggest contributor being NASA's InSight lander, which is a seismic probe.

Additionally, some small deviations that appear in the data collected by Mars orbiters also contribute to the structure's recognition.

The presence of these structures has overturned a long-accepted theory about the red planet.

More specifically, geologists have been working with a concept called regional isostasy , or the bending of the lithosphere.

It describes how the lithosphere — the rigid outer layer of a planet, including the crust and part of the upper mantle — responds to a large payload.

When a heavy object presses down on the lithosphere, it responds by sinking.

On Earth, Greenland is a prime example of this, where a massive ice sheet exerts downward pressure. As the ice sheets melt due to global warming, the land of Greenland will rise.

Flexural isostasy is an important idea for understanding glacial rebound, mountain building, and sedimentary basin formation.

New research suggests we need to reconsider this phenomenon on Mars.

Area with giant volcanoes on Mars - (Photo: NASA).

The anomaly lies at Olympus Mons – the largest volcano on Mars and the largest in the Solar System – and the entire volcanic region called Tharsis Montes.

According to the theory, this large volcanic region should have depressed the planet's surface. But the opposite happened: Tharsis Montes is much higher than the rest of the Martian surface.

The cause of this must be something massive deep inside Mars, possibly rising from the mantle and lifting the giant mountain.

"This suggests that Mars may still have active movements going on inside it, creating new volcanism on the surface," the authors write.

Analysis shows that this underground mass is about 1,750 km wide and 1,100 km deep. They suspect that it is a mantle plume rising under Tharsis Montes, strong enough to counteract the downward pressure from the entire mass.

If it behaves like Earth, there could be future volcanic activity on Mars, shattering the long-held belief that the planet is geologically "dead."

Geological activity is also closely related to a habitable environment, which can contribute important details to studies of Martian life.

Until now, scientists were almost certain that this planet could have had life, maybe it had become extinct billions of years ago or recently, or maybe it was still lurking somewhere.