Recent reports said, active volcanoes on Mars that existed from three and four billion years back, had smaller eruptions that continued up to three million years ago.
However, a report from The Sun said, until to date, there has been no evidence that specifies Mars could be active volcanically.
Specifically, scientists at the University of Arizona and the Planetary Science Institute scanned the Red Planet's surface with data from orbiting satellites.
Specifically, they examined images of the featureless equatorial plain of a region identified as Elysium Planitia.
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Images taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) onboard ESA on January 19, 2004 shows a three-dimensional oblique view of the summit caldera of Albor Tholus, a volcano in the Elysium region.
50,000-Year-Old Volcanic Deposit
The research team found a formerly unknown ancient ash and rock pile known as a volcanic deposit that, as specified in the study, is up to 50,000 years old.
If the researchers' estimations are correct, it would then mean, that volcanic eruptions were taking place on the Red planet more recently than commonly thought.
According to the study's lead author, Dr. David Horvath, this may be the youngest volcanic deposit ever recorded on Mars.
If Mars' geologic history is compressed into one day, this would have taken place in the very last second. Researchers believe the eruption resulted from the gases in the Martian magma, or when the magma came into contact at the surface with permafrost.
Magma Still Possibly Flowing Under the Martian Surface
The resulting explosion yielded an eight-mile-wide, smooth and dark deposit around a volcanic fissure that's about 20 miles long.
More so, ash and rock, the researchers explained in their study, Evidence for geologically recent explosive volcanism in Elysium Planitia, Mars, published in Icarus, would have been flung up to six miles into the atmosphere of Mars.
Having taken place so recently, this result hints that magma may possibly still be flowing under the Martian surface today.
Dr. Horvath explained, this said deposit's young age certainly increases the probability that there could be volcanic activity on the Red Planet.
A Favorable Environment for Microbial Life?
The study finding suggested too, that conditions underneath the surface of the distant world may have been livable in its current history.
That's due to the fact that magma rising from under may have melted ice at the surface of the planet, producing a favorable environment for microbial life.
Dr. Horvath said though, this does not necessarily confirm or verify past life on Mars, although it does not imply an environment that's conducive to habitability.
Mars is of specific interest to researchers as it is offering the opportunity to teach them how life may develop outside this planet.
Scientists believe, bacteria may have grown there, billions of years back, when it was covered with water, not to mention, like Earth, it had an atmosphere.
Attempts to Look for Signs of Past Life on Mars
The Perseverance rover of NASA touched down on the Red Planet in February and will search for signs of past life. Chin, on the other hand, landed its first rover on Mars last week.
In other space news, the NASA spacecraft has commenced a 1.4-billion-mile journey back to Earth following collection of rock samples from an prehistoric asteroid.
NASA has released historic first audio recordings captured on the surface of the Red Planet. In addition, Russia and China have both committed too, to construct a shared Moon base, marking the beginning of a new period in space cooperation between two nations.
Related information is shown on Agro Squerril's YouTube Video below:
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