Solar System's Tallest Volcano 'Olympus Mons' Had Destructive Landslides and Could Have Been Surrounded by a Martian Ocean, Evidence Suggests

Researchers have found suspected evidence of Martian landslides in the form of a wrinkled land patch close to the Olymphus Mons' norther region. As such, they think that the patch could have formed when lava surged from the volcano a long time ago. Further evidence suggests that a Martian ocean could have surrounded the tall volcano. The oozing lava is thought to have surged through water and ice situated at the base of the mountain.

Martian Landslides at Olympus Mons

New images were released by the European Space Agency. These shots display the distinct crumpled feature of the planet, known as Lycus Sulci, on the aureole's edges.

The aureole reveals how the lower flanks of Olympus Mons, which is the solar system's tallest volcano, collapsed catastrophically several hundred million years ago.

Huge quantities of lava streamed down Olympus Mons and facilitated landslides that surged until the volcano's bedrock, which in such a case contained water and ice.

Scientists say that at least a few of the destructive landslides could have stretched as far as 621 miles from the Olympus Mons, such as that of the Lycus Sulci. As such, the lava could have then hardened as eons passed.

The Lycus Sulci stops just before reaching the Yelwa Crater, which is a bowl in Mars that got its name from a Nigerian town. Grooves that signify flows of lava close to the Yelwa Crater show the vast distance traveled by the destructive landslides.

Role of Water in the Martian Landscape

Though Martian streaks have been long-standing study focuses, the role of water in the surface has remained an open case. As such, the new findings may support the notion that fluid water could have freely flowed across Mars, which is presently an arid desert planet aside from the ice remnants locked inside the planet's poles.

The fresh findings come not long after similar evidence was retrieved in July. This earlier evidence referred to the huge cliffs bordering the volcano. Scientists think that these cliffs, or escarpments, serve as a mark of a prehistoric shoreline within a huge depression where water used to swirl. As such, the findings support the notion and pose that the mountain's lower area faltered when the water and ice situated at its base became unstable due to the lava from the volcano's insides.

While the findings do provide room for possibilities, they do not suggest that the Lycus Sulci could have been friendly in facilitating life. Though water presence on Mars is good news when it comes to life as a whole, scientists think that living Martian organisms could have perished alongside the planet's oceans. However, there are some who think that organisms with single cells could have hibernated within the ice caps of the planets. It remains a mystery, however, if they are still around.