Scientists from the University of Oxford have identified evidence suggesting Mars once possessed extensive networks of molten rock flowing beneath its surface, according to findings published in Nature Astronomy.
The researchers analyzed seismic data collected by NASA’s Insight Lander, which detected vibrations from meteorite strikes and Martian earthquakes. Using this information, they examined an unexplained geological boundary located approximately 15 miles below Mars’s surface. Their analysis indicates that molten rock pooling underground and extending across hundreds or even thousands of miles most likely accounts for this boundary’s formation.
Previous scientific understanding held that Martian volcanoes operated with isolated magma chambers functioning independently. The new research reveals a more sophisticated system with interconnected pathways for molten material, fundamentally altering assumptions about the planet’s subsurface geology. Such an interconnected structure would have enabled the development of a chemically varied crust capable of recycling essential elements and facilitating the atmospheric and oceanic processes necessary for habitability.
The discovery carries implications for climate regulation, a function scientists previously believed required plate tectonics to achieve. This finding suggests that rocky planets lacking plate tectonics, previously considered unsuitable for supporting life, may warrant reassessment as potentially habitable environments and expands the scope of exoplanets scientists should consider when searching for worlds capable of hosting biological activity.
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