Mars may have its own unique tectonic plate, study says

Science hasn’t succeeded yet Understanding whether there is plate tectonics on MarsThe data suggest that the red planet does not have internal structures similar to those found on Earth. But a new study by researchers at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) claims that a type of tectonic plate may have influenced the celestial body.

Because Mars consists of many volcanoes, such as the giant Mount Olympus, it has some features that are thought to be similar to those of Earth. After all, how could the red planet host a complex system of volcanoes without having any tectonic plates? Scientists suggest that there is a type of plate known as ‘vertical tectonics’ that helped form this system.

On Earth, volcanoes are formed due to a process involving high temperatures and the recycling of the crust associated with plate tectonics. However, unlike our planet, Mars does not have tectonic plates and yet has a very complex volcanic system.

Therefore, HKU Department of Earth Sciences geologist Joseph Michalksi suggests that this volcanism was driven by ‘vertical tectonics’.

“In this study, we show that the ancient crust contained many other types of volcanoes, not lava, such as lava domes, stratovolcanoes, calderas, and large ash shields. Moreover, most scientists consider Mars a planet composed of basalt, low in silica, and poorly representative of crustal evolution.” “But these volcanoes are high in silica, meaning they formed from a complex evolutionary process of previously unknown magma.” Michalski said. an official statement.

Plate tectonics on Mars

Researchers believe that Mars’ volcanic system is much more diverse than science believes. Until then, they knew that Mars consisted of volcanoes similar to those in Hawaii, but the new study points out that the celestial body also has explosive volcanoes that form solely from the recycling of crust, as on Earth.

The theory is ‘Vertical tectonics’ caused the planet’s mantle to collapse, creating high concentrations of silica that were expelled to the surface via volcanoes.

The paper suggests that this is why the highest silica levels were recorded in regions within the Martian volcanic system. The study explains that from the new data, astronomers can learn more about the early process of the red planet’s crust and the Earth itself.

“This is a very important discovery Because it revealed that the recycling of the earth’s crust does not only occur in plate tectonic regimes. It can occur in pre-plate tectonic regimes dominated by horizontal movements, but also in vertical movements. This discovery could help Earth scientists resolve long-term controversial questions about how and when felsic continents formed on our planet,” said Guochun ZHAO, one of the paper’s authors and HKU professor of Earth sciences.

Always stay up to date with more Mars-related studies at TecMundo. If you wish, take the opportunity to discover how the largest volcano in the Solar System could be an island on Mars.