Obscure Facts Most People Don’t Know About Mars

Introduction

Mars, often called the “Red Planet,” has captivated human imagination for centuries. As our nearest planetary neighbor with conditions that might once have been similar to Earth’s, Mars is a focal point for scientific exploration and the search for extraterrestrial life. While many people know about its red surface, cold climate, and thin atmosphere, there are several lesser-known aspects of Mars that are equally fascinating. In this blog series, we will explore some obscure facts about Mars, starting with the tallest volcano in the solar system, Olympus Mons.

Olympus Mons: The Tallest Volcano in the Solar System

One of the most remarkable features of Mars is Olympus Mons, a colossal shield volcano that holds the title of the tallest volcano in the solar system. Its immense size and unique characteristics provide valuable insights into the geological history of Mars and the dynamic processes that shaped its surface.

Impressive Dimensions

Olympus Mons stands approximately 22 kilometers (13.6 miles) high, making it nearly three times the height of Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on Earth. Its base is equally impressive, spanning about 600 kilometers (373 miles) in diameter, which is roughly equivalent to the size of the state of Arizona. The volcano’s summit is marked by a caldera, a large volcanic crater, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) wide.

The sheer scale of Olympus Mons is difficult to comprehend. If you were standing at the base of the volcano, its summit would extend beyond the horizon, and its gentle slopes would make it appear more like a vast, gradual incline rather than a steep mountain.

Formation and Structure

Olympus Mons is classified as a shield volcano, characterized by its broad, gently sloping profile formed by the eruption of low-viscosity basaltic lava. Shield volcanoes are typically not explosive; instead, they build up over time through successive lava flows that spread out in thin layers. This process results in the wide, dome-like shape that defines Olympus Mons.

The formation of Olympus Mons is believed to have occurred over billions of years. Mars’s lower gravity, which is about 38% that of Earth’s, and the lack of tectonic plate movement allowed the volcano to grow to such an enormous size. On Earth, tectonic plates shift and move, causing volcanic activity to be distributed along plate boundaries. In contrast, Mars has a static lithosphere, allowing lava to erupt repeatedly at the same location and build up to extraordinary heights.

Volcanic Activity

Although Olympus Mons is considered a dormant volcano, evidence suggests it may have been active relatively recently in geological terms. Lava flows on its flanks appear to be as young as a few million years old, indicating that volcanic activity could have occurred in the not-too-distant past. This possibility raises intriguing questions about the potential for future eruptions and the current state of the Martian interior.

Scientific Significance

Studying Olympus Mons provides scientists with valuable information about Mars’s geological history and the processes that have shaped its surface. The volcano’s size and structure offer clues about the planet’s volcanic activity, thermal history, and internal composition. Additionally, understanding shield volcanoes on Mars helps scientists draw comparisons with similar structures on Earth, contributing to our knowledge of planetary geology.

Challenges for Exploration

Exploring Olympus Mons poses several challenges for future missions. Its massive size and the thin Martian atmosphere make it difficult to land and navigate robotic explorers. The slopes, while gentle, cover vast distances that require advanced mobility solutions. Moreover, the potential for dust storms and extreme temperature variations adds to the complexity of conducting research on and around the volcano.

Future Prospects

Despite these challenges, Olympus Mons remains a compelling target for future exploration. Advanced robotic missions equipped with sophisticated instruments could provide detailed maps of the volcano’s surface, analyze its composition, and search for signs of past or present volcanic activity. In the long term, human exploration of Mars might include expeditions to Olympus Mons, offering unparalleled opportunities to study one of the solar system’s most extraordinary geological features up close.

The Largest Dust Storms in the Solar System

Mars is known for its dramatic and sometimes catastrophic dust storms, which are the largest in the solar system. These storms can cover the entire planet, transforming the Martian landscape and atmosphere. Understanding these massive dust storms is crucial for future exploration and colonization efforts on Mars.

Nature of Martian Dust Storms

Martian dust storms can vary greatly in size and duration. They range from small, localized dust devils to massive planet-encircling events that can last for weeks or even months. The most significant storms can obscure the planet’s surface from view, creating a global haze that affects both temperatures and atmospheric conditions.

Formation and Causes

Several factors contribute to the formation of dust storms on Mars:

1. Solar Heating: The uneven heating of the Martian surface by the Sun causes temperature differences, leading to atmospheric instability. This can result in strong winds that lift dust from the surface into the atmosphere.
2. Dust Particle Properties: The fine, powdery dust on Mars is easily lofted by wind. Once in the atmosphere, these particles can remain suspended for extended periods due to Mars’s thin atmosphere and lower gravity.
3. Seasonal Changes: Dust storms are more common during the southern hemisphere’s spring and summer, when Mars is closest to the Sun. This proximity increases solar heating and atmospheric activity.

Impact on the Martian Environment

The effects of dust storms on Mars are profound:

1. Temperature Variations: Dust storms can significantly alter surface and atmospheric temperatures. The dust absorbs sunlight, warming the atmosphere while cooling the surface beneath the storm.
2. Visibility and Solar Power: Thick dust storms can reduce visibility to almost zero and block sunlight, posing challenges for solar-powered rovers and landers. For instance, the Opportunity rover’s mission ended after a massive dust storm in 2018 prevented it from recharging its batteries.
3. Erosion and Surface Changes: Winds associated with dust storms can erode surface features and redistribute dust across the planet. This constant reshaping affects the Martian landscape and has implications for geological studies.

Scientific Importance

Studying Martian dust storms helps scientists understand atmospheric dynamics on Mars and other planets. By monitoring these storms, researchers can develop better models to predict their occurrence and behavior, which is essential for planning future missions. Additionally, studying Martian dust storms can provide insights into similar phenomena on Earth and other planetary bodies.

Signs of Ancient River Valleys and Lake Beds

One of the most compelling pieces of evidence for Mars’s potentially habitable past is the presence of ancient river valleys and lake beds. These features suggest that Mars once had liquid water flowing across its surface, indicating a much warmer and wetter climate billions of years ago.

Geological Evidence

High-resolution images and data from orbiters and rovers have revealed numerous geological features indicative of past water activity:

1. Valley Networks: Extensive networks of branching valleys, resembling river systems on Earth, crisscross the Martian surface. These valleys are often located in the southern highlands and suggest significant erosion by flowing water.
2. Outflow Channels: Larger, more dramatic channels appear to have been formed by catastrophic floods. These channels, such as those in the Chryse Planitia region, indicate the rapid release of large volumes of water, possibly from underground reservoirs.
3. Delta Formations: Sedimentary deposits at the mouths of ancient rivers indicate the presence of standing bodies of water, such as lakes or seas. The Eberswalde and Jezero craters, with their well-preserved delta formations, are prime examples.

Implications for Past Climate

The presence of these ancient water features has significant implications for Mars’s climate history:

1. Warm and Wet Periods: The existence of river valleys and lake beds suggests that Mars experienced periods of a warm and wet climate. During these times, liquid water could have been stable on the surface, potentially creating conditions suitable for life.
2. Atmospheric Changes: To support liquid water, Mars’s atmosphere would have been much thicker and warmer in the past. Understanding the transition from a warm, wet Mars to its current cold and dry state is a major focus of planetary science.

Search for Life

The ancient river valleys and lake beds on Mars are prime targets in the search for past life. These areas could have provided habitable environments for microbial life. Current missions, like NASA’s Perseverance rover, are exploring these regions to look for signs of ancient life, such as biosignatures preserved in rocks and sediments.

Exploration and Study

Robotic missions have been crucial in studying these ancient water features:

1. Mars Rovers: Rovers like Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance have explored various regions, analyzing rock formations and sediments for evidence of past water activity.
2. Orbiters: Orbiters equipped with high-resolution cameras and spectrometers, such as Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Express, have provided detailed maps and compositional data of the Martian surface.

Future Prospects

Future missions to Mars will continue to focus on these ancient water features. Planned missions, including potential human exploration, aim to uncover more about Mars’s watery past and its implications for the possibility of life. By studying these features, scientists hope to piece together the history of water on Mars and its potential to support life.

Mars Has Two Small Moons

Mars is orbited by two small moons, Phobos and Deimos, which are quite different from Earth’s large and singular moon. These moons are intriguing for several reasons, from their origins and compositions to their future fates. Understanding Phobos and Deimos provides important clues about Mars’s history and the dynamics of its system.

Phobos

Phobos is the larger and closer of Mars’s two moons, with a diameter of about 22.4 kilometers (13.9 miles). It orbits Mars at a distance of approximately 6,000 kilometers (3,700 miles), making it one of the closest moons to its planet in the solar system.

1. Surface Features: Phobos’s surface is heavily cratered and covered with a layer of regolith (loose rock and dust). Its most prominent feature is Stickney Crater, a massive impact crater that spans about 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) across.
2. Future Fate: Phobos is gradually spiraling inward towards Mars due to tidal forces. In about 50 million years, it is expected to either crash into Mars or break apart to form a ring around the planet.

Deimos

Deimos is smaller and farther from Mars than Phobos, with a diameter of about 12.4 kilometers (7.7 miles). It orbits Mars at a distance of approximately 23,500 kilometers (14,600 miles).

1. Surface Features: Deimos has a smoother appearance compared to Phobos, with fewer large craters. Its surface is also covered with a layer of regolith, but it appears less rugged and more subdued.
2. Stable Orbit: Unlike Phobos, Deimos is slowly drifting away from Mars, similar to our Moon’s gradual retreat from Earth. This process is much slower and less dramatic than Phobos’s inward spiral.

Origins and Composition

The origins of Phobos and Deimos remain a topic of scientific debate. There are two main theories:

1. Captured Asteroids: One theory suggests that Phobos and Deimos are captured asteroids from the nearby asteroid belt. Their irregular shapes and compositions, which resemble carbonaceous chondrite asteroids, support this idea.
2. Impact Debris: Another theory proposes that the moons formed from debris ejected by a massive impact on Mars. This debris could have coalesced to form the two moons in their current orbits.

Scientific Importance

Studying Phobos and Deimos provides valuable insights into the history and evolution of the Martian system. Their compositions and surface features offer clues about their origins and the processes that have shaped them. Additionally, these moons are of interest for future exploration missions, as they could serve as bases or stepping stones for missions to Mars.

Exploration Missions

Several missions have been proposed or are being planned to explore Phobos and Deimos. These missions aim to study the moons’ surfaces, compositions, and potential resources. For example, Japan’s Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) mission, scheduled for launch in the mid-2020s, aims to land on Phobos, collect samples, and return them to Earth for analysis.

Mars’s Atmosphere Contains Methane

One of the most intriguing discoveries about Mars in recent years is the detection of methane in its atmosphere. Methane is a gas that can be produced by both geological and biological processes, leading to speculation about its origin and implications for the possibility of life on Mars.

Detection of Methane

Methane on Mars has been detected using both ground-based telescopes and instruments on spacecraft. Key detections include:

1. Mars Express: The European Space Agency’s Mars Express orbiter detected methane in the Martian atmosphere in 2004.
2. Curiosity Rover: NASA’s Curiosity rover, which has been exploring Gale Crater since 2012, has detected fluctuating levels of methane in the atmosphere. These fluctuations suggest that methane concentrations can vary over time and location.

Potential Sources of Methane

The presence of methane on Mars is intriguing because it suggests active processes occurring beneath the surface. There are two primary sources that could explain the presence of methane:

1. Geological Processes: Methane can be produced through geological processes such as serpentinization, where water reacts with certain types of rock to produce methane. Volcanic activity and the release of methane from ancient reservoirs trapped in ice could also be potential sources.
2. Biological Processes: On Earth, most methane is produced by microbial life. If methane on Mars is produced biologically, it would suggest the presence of subsurface microbial life. However, this remains speculative and requires further investigation.

Methane’s Lifecycle

Methane is relatively short-lived in the Martian atmosphere, lasting only a few hundred years before it is broken down by sunlight and chemical reactions. This short lifespan means that the detected methane must be replenished by active sources. Understanding the mechanisms behind methane’s release and breakdown is crucial for determining its origin.

Scientific Importance

The detection of methane on Mars is significant for several reasons:

1. Potential for Life: If methane is produced biologically, it would have profound implications for the possibility of life on Mars. Even if the methane is produced geologically, it indicates active processes that could create habitable conditions.
2. Planetary Geology: Studying methane on Mars helps scientists understand the planet’s geological activity and the presence of water and heat beneath the surface. These factors are essential for assessing Mars’s habitability.

Future Research and Missions

Future missions to Mars will continue to investigate the presence of methane and its potential sources. NASA’s Perseverance rover, which landed on Mars in 2021, is equipped with instruments to search for signs of past life and analyze the planet’s geology. Additionally, the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, a joint mission by ESA and Roscosmos, is specifically designed to study trace gases in the Martian atmosphere, including methane.

Conclusion

Reflection on the Discoveries

Mars, with its towering volcanoes, massive dust storms, ancient river valleys, intriguing moons, and mysterious methane, continues to captivate scientists and the public alike. These obscure facts highlight the planet’s dynamic history and complex processes, offering a window into its past and potential future.

Importance of Continued Exploration

The discoveries discussed in this series underscore the importance of continued exploration of Mars. Each new finding raises new questions and provides a deeper understanding of the planet’s geology, climate, and potential habitability. Robotic missions, like those of the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers, along with orbiters such as Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Express, have been instrumental in advancing our knowledge. However, much remains to be discovered, and future missions will be crucial in uncovering more about the Red Planet.

Future Prospects

As we look to the future, several missions are planned to further explore Mars. The Mars Sample Return mission, a collaboration between NASA and ESA, aims to bring samples from the Martian surface back to Earth for detailed analysis. These samples could provide definitive answers about the planet’s geology and potential for life. Additionally, proposed missions to Phobos and Deimos will offer new insights into these enigmatic moons and their origins.

Human Exploration

The prospect of human exploration of Mars is becoming increasingly realistic. NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon, is seen as a stepping stone for eventual manned missions to Mars. SpaceX’s Starship project also envisions sending humans to Mars in the near future. Human missions to Mars would allow for more detailed and flexible exploration, potentially unlocking the secrets of the planet’s geology, climate, and potential biosignatures.

Implications for the Solar System

Studying Mars has broader implications for our understanding of the solar system. Mars’s similarities and differences with Earth provide valuable comparisons for planetary science. Understanding the history and evolution of Mars helps scientists make inferences about the processes that shaped other rocky planets, both within our solar system and in exoplanetary systems.

Final Thoughts

Mars remains a focal point for scientific exploration and human curiosity. The obscure facts about the Red Planet, from its towering volcanoes and massive dust storms to its ancient river valleys, intriguing moons, and mysterious methane, reveal a world that is both familiar and alien. As we continue to explore Mars, we not only learn more about this fascinating planet but also gain insights into the broader workings of our solar system and the potential for life beyond Earth. The journey of discovery on Mars is far from over, and each new mission brings us closer to unraveling the mysteries of the Red Planet.