Scientists have long been searching for planets similar to Earth wherein mankind would be able to survive. With the recent discovery of a nearby solar system with 7 planets potentially able to support life, still there is no planet that could ever come close to Mars' potential. Now, a recent study has been revealed detailing the complexity of Mars' crust making it all the more possible for mankind to live there.
By studying the second largest volcano on Mars next to Olympus Mons, Elysium, researchers have found that the planet's mantle is far more similar to Earth's than earlier thought, Mail Online reports. It has long been earlier thought that Mars could be the closest planet next to Earth to support life and this latest discovery only adds further evidence to support this claim. NASA had earlier discovered that water once flowed on Mars and according to them they are planning to send more robots to the red planet to gather more efficient data.
The researchers have also discovered that there is an unusual flow of lava around the volcano which is also consistent with the mantle beneath it and at different temperatures, the mantle melts and some areas rise over time. According to Phys.org,this proves that Mars' geology is much more complex and it may be due to the weight of the enormous volcanoes.
For decades now, most scientists have deemed Mars as more moon-like than Earth-like but as further studies are made on the red planet it has slowly been revealed that this is not really the case. In fact, Elysium, which is twice the size of Mt. Everest, is more like the Tibesti Mountains of Chad here on Earth. By learning more about Mars' mantle, scientists believe that they would be able to discover the different kinds of valuable ore and minerals found on the planet. When it comes to the difference between Earth's mantle with Mars, the latter does not possess the same tectonic plates that the former has.
