Scientists say Mars may have caves.
10/27/09
Caves were some of the earliest refuges for human beings on Earth. Could the same be true for future pioneers on Mars? A space scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey, thinks so. He said he has found evidence of an extensive cave system among ancient volcanoes at Mars' equator. Using images from spacecraft orbiting the Red Planet, Cushing discovered a series of "collapse depressions" in extinct lava flows from the Arsia Mons volcano, near the equator. Twelve miles high and 270 miles across, Arsia Mons is Mars' second-largest volcano. He said these depressions are consistent with lava flows on Earth that produce caves. Flowing lava cools first on the surface, creating a hard roof, while lava continues to flow underneath. When the flow stops, what's left behind is a tube, kind of like the drinking straw left when someone is finished drinking a milkshake. Some of these Mars depressions, or grooves, are more than 60 miles long and 150 feet across, Cushing said. He added that he could only estimate the lengths of the likely tunnels, since some tubes would have collapsed over time.
Courtesy of:
Los Angeles Times
10/27/09
