Posted:
November 27, 2021 14:46 GMT
According to the researchers, a more detailed analysis of the soil of the Red Planet will allow to draw a timeline of the last volcanic eruptions.
An international group of researchers published on November 23 in the journal Nature Communications a study which they claim to have discovered ancient dry lava flows About 200 meters deep in the soil of Mars, which will help to reconstruct the volcanic past of the red planet.
Mars is home to Olympus, the volcano, and the mountain The largest known in the solar systemIt has a diameter of 610 kilometers and a height of 22 kilometers, which is more than twice the height of Mount Everest.
However, relatively little is known about the volcanic history of this planet, although new technologies and exploration missions in recent years have allowed astronomers to make discoveries of great interest.
The authors of the latest study used an Insight Mars lander (a mission launched by NASA in 2018) and a method called Rayleigh waves, which are the same waves often used on Earth. Reveals details about what’s under the surface Through them they move, as they detect the vibrations of the earth caused by natural factors.
On our planet, these vibrations arise from the activity of the oceans and from humanity itself, but on Mars they are generated by the wind.
In this way, scientists were able to draw a map that extended to a depth 200 meters Which revealed several layers of dry lava and sedimentary rock, evidence of ancient volcanic activity.
The researchers concluded that a more detailed analysis of Martian soil and the rocky remains it contains can be done Helps better understand the volcanic history of the Red PlanetIt would even allow a timeline to be drawn to see when the last eruptions occurred.
