A giant volcano has just been discovered on the planet Mars

Past under the radar for 50 years of exploration, a giant volcano has just been discovered on the planet Mars. An astonishing find that opens new doors to the world. exploring the red planet.

Although we think we know everything about our neighbor the planet Mars, flown many times by space probes and surveyed since the 90s by rovers increasingly efficient, the little red planet still has many surprises in store for us. During a conference given in Texas this Wednesday, March 13, 2024, scientists from the SETI Institute revealed & oacute; a surprising discovery: a giant volcano, larger than Everest, until now past totally unnoticed in a region that is nevertheless emblematic of Mars!

Measuring more than 9 kilometers high and 450 kilometers in diameter, this geological monster nestles in an area well known to scientists, edge on one side by Noctis Labyrinthus and on the other by Valles Marineris and their spectacular canyons. But despite this 50 years of exploring the Martian surface, it had never been explored before. identified. And for good reason, the volcano is so eroded. that its shape is much less recognizable than that of the gigantic Olympus Mons culminating à more than 21 kilometers high. It was while studying the remains of a glacier that researchers noticed a set of geological structures which has attracted their attention. "We were examining the geology of a region where we had found; remains of glacier last year when we realizedé that we were &at; inside a huge and extremely eroded volcano" tells Dr Pascal Lee à the origin of the study.

This unexpected discovery could mark the starting point for new Martian explorations. Indeed, the size and structure of this volcano suggest that it could have been active for a long period and until very recently . Scientists could therefore use this geological treasure to better understand the history of this region of Mars. In addition, the presence of ice in the volcano represents an opportunity for research. for scientists looking for signs of extraterrestrial life…