There’s a hole in the surface of Mars and scientists have no idea what’s inside

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Human visitors to Mars need somewhere to shelter from the radiation, temperature changes and dust storms that plague the planet. If the planet is anything like Earth or the Moon, it may have large underground lava tubes that could house shelters. Collapsed sections of lava tubes, called roofs, may provide access to these underground shelters.

Does this hole on Mars lead to a larger underground cave?

This image was captured by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).

The crater is only a few meters wide and is in the Arsia Mons region of Mars. Arsia Mons is one of three dormant volcanoes in the Tharsis Montes group of three volcanoes.

This color image of the surface of Mars was created with data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The line of three volcanoes is Tharsis Montes, with Olympus Mons to the northwest and Valles Marineris to the east. Arsia Mons is the southernmost volcano of the three that make up the Tharsis Montes. Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ Arizona State University
This color image of the surface of Mars was created with data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The line of three volcanoes is Tharsis Montes, with Olympus Mons to the northwest and Valles Marineris to the east. Arsia Mons is the southernmost volcano of the three that make up the Tharsis Montes. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/Arizona State University)

The Tharsis region of the Tharsis Bulge is a large volcanic field that is thousands of kilometers wide. It is elevated relative to the rest of Mars and averages about 10 km (33,000 ft) above the planet’s average elevation. The region was volcanically active in the past, of course, and features like the crater are a direct result of ancient volcanic activity.

Some sinkholes in the Arsia Mons region may be collapsed windows or openings in underground lava tubes.

However, there are many uncertainties. The image of one of them shows an illuminated sidewall, which may indicate that it is simply a cylindrical pit.

These images of a crater near Arsia Mons were captured a few years ago. The image on the left was captured first, and scientists wondered if it might lead to a lava tube or cave. Then the image on the right, showing a sidewall, was captured. The sidewall may indicate no pipe or cave. Image credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona
These images of a crater near Arsia Mons were captured a few years ago. The image on the left was captured first, and scientists wondered if it might lead to a lava tube or cave. Then the image on the right, showing a sidewall, was captured. The sidewall may indicate no pipe or cave. (NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)

The hole in the image shown can only be a pit or shaft and not an entrance to a cave or lava tube. They are found in Hawaiian volcanoes, where they are called pit craters. They are not associated with long caves or lava tubes. They are the result of a collapse that occurred much deeper underground.

These four consecutive images show how pit craters form. As volcanoes erupt and settle, fissures are created. They slowly migrate upwards and the rocks above them begin to fall into them. Eventually, the upward-migrating crack reaches the surface and the roof descends inward. On Earth, plants will eventually colonize the crater. On Mars, they stay almost the same as when they collapsed. Image credit: US National Park Service.
These four consecutive images show how pit craters form. As volcanoes erupt and settle, fissures are created. They slowly migrate upwards and the rocks above them begin to fall into them. Eventually, the upward-migrating crack reaches the surface and the roof descends inward. On Earth, plants will eventually colonize the crater. On Mars, they stay almost the same as when they collapsed. (US National Park Service)

In Hawaii, sinkhole craters range from 6 to 186 meters (20 to 610 feet) deep and from 8 to 1,140 meters (26 to 3,740 feet) wide. The Arsia Mons crater in the main image is only about 178 meters (584 feet) deep.

We have a much better understanding of craters and lava tubes on the Moon than on Mars. We know that some of them are thermally stable at around 17 C (63 F.) We also have better images of them, with intriguing views of stone-covered floors.

Spectacular high sunset view of Mare Tranquillitatis pit crater revealing boulders on an otherwise smooth floor. The 100-meter hole may provide access to a lunar lava tube. Image Credit: By NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University - http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA13518, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid =54853313
Spectacular high sunset view of Mare Tranquillitatis pit crater revealing boulders on an otherwise smooth floor. The 100-meter hole may provide access to a lunar lava tube. (NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University)

Much thought is being given to how to explore these lunar caves and lava tubes, including conceptual designs for robots that could explore them. Perhaps on the Moon, astronauts could shelter in inflatable habitats inside these tubes, where they are protected from temperature fluctuations, radiation and micrometeorites.

But Mars is another question. There is no reason that lava tubes should not exist on Mars. In fact, Mars’ gravity is much weaker than Earth’s, and this should allow for much larger tubes.

Images of Mars show rilles, which are collapsed tubes. It seems likely that not all of these tubes collapsed to form flows.

One crater in the Martian volcano, Pavis Mons, is particularly intriguing. There is some kind of void under the pit, but the nature of the pit is difficult to determine. Is it a lava tube? If so, it dwarfs most tubes on Earth.

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Martian lava tubes are still a mystery. Scientists have found a lot of morphological evidence to suggest that they are numerous.

But in science, you cannot assume that they are there, even though it seems likely that they are. There is no obvious reason why they wouldn’t be. Could they one day provide housing for astronauts? Maybe.

We need a robotic mission to explore them first.

This article was originally published by Universe Today. Read the original article.

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