Page 53 - (DK) Eyewitness - Mars

Ice towers on Mars

Some researchers insist the key place to look for life on Mars is where
“geothermal hot spots’’ seem to be. These are places with higher ground
temperatures than their surroundings. They might be volcanic vents releasing
subsurface warmth. In Earth’s Antarctic regions, such vents create chimneys of
ice that tower above the snowfields. Inside them microscopic organisms may
find shelter from severe polar weather.
Hellas
Planitia
(basin)

ICY CHIMNEYS
Thermal Hollow towers of ice form on the steaming volcanic
anomalies vents of Mount Erebus, a volcano on Ross Island,
Antarctica. Towers built up by the freezing of steam
from the vents rise as high as 33 feet (10 m). Volcanic
heat keeps inside temperatures at around freezing, so
THERMAL ANOMALIES microorganisms could thrive there, sheltered from
Mars Odyssey orbiter’s heat- fierce winds and cold.
sensing camera has recorded
what seem to be areas warmer
than their surroundings—
“thermal anomalies.” These
unexplained warm places are
found in the Hellas basin. They
are 10°F (5.5°C) warmer than
the materials around them, and
they stay warmer both night and
day. They could be similar to
volcanic vents in Antarctica.

TOWERS OF ICE—AND LIFE?
If the Hellas basin has geothermal heat vents,
they might look like the ice towers in this
painting. Martian towers could soar to 100 feet
(30 m) because of the planet’s weak gravity. Icy
walls would filter out harmful radiation, and
volcanic gases could provide needed heat and
chemical energy for primitive life forms to
endure for millions of years.