Recent Volcanic Activity on Mars Suggests Potential for Life

University of Arizona researchers uncover over 40 volcanic events in Mars' Elysium Planitia, suggesting the region could harbor conditions conducive to microbial life.

A team from the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory used spacecraft images and ground penetrating radar to create 3D reconstructions of lava flows in Mars' Elysium Planitia, uncovering over 40 volcanic events as recent as one million years ago.
The volcanic activity in Elysium Planitia could have implications for Mars' ability to harbor life, as the interaction between lava and water could create hydrothermal environments conducive to microbial life.
The volcanic activity in the Elysium Planitia region may have brought potentially life-sustaining water to Mars's surface through volcanic eruptions and water contained in lava.
The team's findings suggest that large water ice deposits may still be present underground in Elysium Planitia.
The researchers plan to continue studying this region, using different imaging methods to create more 3D insights into the Martian surface and regions that lie below.