On Mars, a bottomless pit is causing confusion among astronomers
There may be large underground caves on Mars containing possible shelters. Collapsed sections of lava tubes, called skylights, provide access to these underground shelters. And the hole discovered on the surface of the planet may be one of them. But scientists still have no idea what is inside it.
The Martian hole is only a few meters in diameter and is located in the area of one of three dormant volcanoes in the Tharsis-Montes group of three volcanoes.
This area is a vast volcanic plain. It is located at a higher elevation than the rest of Mars and is on average about 10 kilometers higher than the planet's average altitude. It's clear that the region was volcanically active in the past, and features like the hole are a direct result of ancient volcanic activity.
But Mars, which is colder than Earth, has many other causes, according to Science Alert formation of such holes: meteorites leave craters, lava tubes collapse and form deep holes, ancient floods gouge out huge canyons, and volcanoes melt ice, forming craters. Several of these pits in the Arsia Mons volcano region may be collapsed skylights or holes leading into underground lava tubes.
However, there is great uncertainty. The image of one of them shows an illuminated side wall, which may indicate that it is simply a cylindrical pit.
The hole in the telescope image may only be a pit or shaft, and not the entrance to a cave or lava tube. They are also found on Earth, on Hawaiian volcanoes, where they are called pit craters, and are generally considered the result of a collapse that occurred much deeper underground.
In Hawaii, crater depths range from 6 to 186 meters and widths from 8 to 1,140 meters.
“We understand the lava pits and tubes on the Moon much better than we do on Mars. We know that some are heat stable at temperatures around 17°C (63°F). We also have higher-quality images of them, which show intriguing reflections on boulder-covered floors,” the astronomers say.
Many people are thinking about how to explore these lunar caves and lava tubes, including developing robotic projects. But Mars is a different matter.
One of the pits of the Martian volcano Pavis Mons is especially intriguing. There is some kind of emptiness under the hole, but its nature is difficult to determine. Is this a lava tube? If so, it dwarfs most pipes on Earth.
Researchers have suggested that the hole could be a place where life could exist, or serve as a habitat for future astronauts.
Martian lava rocks the pipes still remain a mystery. Scientists have found plenty of evidence that they are numerous.
Previously, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) used its High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) instrument to identify the visible deep hole — a feature that may get more scientists thinking about potential subsurface biology on Mars. Then HiRISE experts said that the hole must be very deep so that the bottom is not visible in natural daylight, which is quite bright on Mars.