Mars may still be volcanically active, gas leaks and fissures suggest

· Science

Mysterious gas emissions and fresh volcanic fissures suggest that Mars may not be geologically dead after all, with hot magma potentially still active deep underground, according to a report. The discovery could point to hidden pockets of warmth and chemical energy capable of supporting microbial life beneath the Red Planet's surface. The finding challenges the long-held view of Mars as a volcanically extinct world and adds to a broader reappraisal of the planet's internal activity. The immediate effect is to give astrobiologists and planetary scientists new targets for subsurface exploration and for re-examining existing orbital and rover data.

Why it matters：If Mars retains subsurface heat and chemical energy, it would expand the search for habitable environments and change how planetary scientists model the planet's evolution.

Key points

  • Gas emissions and fresh fissures hint at magma still active deep underground.
  • Such warmth and chemical energy could support subsurface microbial life.
  • The finding challenges the view that Mars is volcanically extinct.

Sources (original reporting)

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