Orbiter data suggests hydrogen chloride could be seeping from magma beneath Alba Mons volcano, a study says
Mars may still have volcanic activity beneath its surface despite the absence of observed eruptions, a new Russian-led study suggests. Areas where volcanic gases continue to seep from underground could be promising locations to search for signs of life.
The Red Planet bears extensive evidence of ancient volcanism dating back more than 3 billion years, when Olympus Mons, the largest known volcano in the solar system, began forming. Seismometers have also detected slight tremors known as ‘marsquakes’, but sulfur dioxide, a telltale sign of volcanic activity, has never been detected in the Martian atmosphere.
An international team of researchers has linked unusual concentrations of another common volcanic gas, hydrogen chloride (HCl), detected by a Mars orbiter, to possible magmatic activity deep beneath the surface. HCl can indicate the presence of active magma chambers, although it can also be produced by chemical reactions in the atmosphere.
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