For a long time it seemed that the mysterious craters observed within the volcanic ridges of Mars at Tharsis were not limited to this site.
Non-impact craters may indicate the existence of underground lava caves and can be found throughout the solar system, including our planet. These structures form when the top of a molten rock stream solidifies and drains the lava inside, leaving the tunnel empty. When the “roof” collapses, it may partially collapse and form a characteristic crater-shaped depression.
On Mars, these craters are usually bowl-shaped and occur on flat ground. Scientists are even able to distinguish these structures from impact craters because they lack the characteristic bursts of matter that indicate the strength of the impact. Thanks to the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mission and other probe activities, astronomers have been able to identify more than 100 craters within Tharsis so far. They seem to have something unusual about them.
These craters occur in the region of Mars Tharsis
Scientists dealing with this topic have highlighted the fact that the craters immortalized by the Mars Orbiter look different from those in the ancient volcanic region near Elysium Mons. As the researchers explain, analyzes dedicated to these new ancient structures should show the presence of erosive features and enable their precise age to be determined.
There are many craters in the area around Elysium Mons, some of which are probably the result of the impacts of cosmic rocks, but there are also some that do not have the characteristics of impact craters. In addition, many of them are arranged in linear patterns and may have originated from subsurface lava collapse rather than from collisions.
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