Washington (Web Desk) Mars may appear to be an inactive planet, but fresh evidence of mysterious gas emissions near a large volcano has challenged this perception. A new study suggests that heat and volcanic activity may still exist beneath the planet's surface.
Researchers have detected unusually high concentrations of hydrogen chloride gas above surface cracks in Alba Mons, a volcanic region on Mars. This indicates that gases released from the planet's interior may be reaching the atmosphere through ground fissures, potentially providing important information about previously hidden volcanic activity.
The international research team, led by Alexander Trokhimovsky, believes that the gas may be released from hot, molten material beneath the surface, known as magma. If this possibility is confirmed, it would mean that volcanic systems still exist on Mars with the ability to transport gases to the planet's surface.
The European Space Agency's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter first detected the presence of hydrogen chloride gas in the Martian atmosphere in 2021. On Earth, this gas is generally released from volcanic vents and fissures associated with magma. This has led scientists to suggest that similar natural processes may also be taking place on Mars.
According to Professor Daniel Mège, co-leader of the research and a researcher at the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the findings indicate that Mars has retained enough heat in its interior to sustain volcanic activity until the recent past, and such activity may still be continuing.
The research has been published in the scientific journal Science Advances.