Image

On the flanks of the Alba Mons volcano

This image shows a region of Mars lying on the northern flanks of the Alba Mons volcano.

The white spots may be caused by deposition around vents where magmatic gases may be escaping from Mars’s interior.

The image, taken on 3 February 2023, is approximately 20 km by 20km in size and is centred at approximately 64.6°N/274.4°E.

Credits

ESA/TGO/CaSSIS​

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New evidence from gas seeping above volcanic rifts suggests Mars is not geologically dead deep inside, but merely sleeping.

Fresh fissures along the Alba Mons region hint at active spots under the surface, where gases from inside the planet may be making their way up to the surface.

An international research team led by Alexander Trokhimovskiy suggests that the release of hydrogen chloride comes from hot magma beneath the surface – a sign of dormant volcanism.

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The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) first reported hydrogen chloride gas in the martian atmosphere back in 2021.…