Mysterious giant structures have been discovered beneath the surface of Mars
Researchers have found strange structures hidden beneath the surface of Mars which may tell us more about the red planet.
Before you get excited that we've found some kind of alien house, these structures are more concerned with space volcanoes.
Mars already has the largest volcano in the Solar System thanks to the presence of Olympus Mons, which is situated on a part of the planet which we call Tharsis Montes.
It's home to several gigantic volcanoes, and the ground beneath this place is where the researchers have made their discovery.
Advert
They've found an underground mass that's around 1,000 miles across and over 680 miles deep, and it could tell us more about how volcanic activity on Mars works.
In their study, the researchers of the Delft University of Technology said that this 'shows that Mars might still have active movements happening inside it, making new volcanic things on the surface'.
The study was led by Dr Bart Root, who explained more about the underground discovery and what it could mean for Mars and our understanding of the planet.
He said: "These dense structures could be volcanic in origin or could be compacted material due to ancient impacts.
"There are around 20 features of varying sizes that we have identified dotted around the area surrounding the north polar cap - one of which resembles the shape of a dog.
"There seems to be no trace of them at the surface. However, through gravity data, we have a tantalising glimpse into the older history of the northern hemisphere of Mars."
As their research says, what they've found looks like 'a plume head is currently flowing upward towards the lithosphere to generate active volcanism in the geological future'.
In more understandable terms for those who aren't super-duper science experts, if a mantle plume made it up to the surface then it could result in new volcanic activity on the planet.
This latest research into what's going on with Mars comes after the NASA Curiosity Rover spotted some 'well preserved' structures on the planet's surface which have an appearance compared to waffle or honeycomb.
Planetary geologist Catherine O’Connell-Cooper said that Curiosity had shown the ground to be 'full of rough, gnarly material, which can be tricky targets for contact science instruments'.
They were found on something the space boffins call Ghost Mountain butte, which has been earmarked as a potential site of further exploration for the Curiosity team.
Isn't space wonderful? There's always more to discover.
Joe Harker