Noctis Volcano : Massive Volcano On Mars
Scientists recently discovered a massive volcano on Mars, temporarily designated ‘Noctis volcano’, with the possible remains of a relict glacier at its base.
- Noctis Volcano is a newly-discovered volcano located just south of Mars’ equator, in Eastern Noctis Labyrinthus, west of Valles Marineris, the planet’s vast canyon system.
- The volcano sits on the eastern edge of a broad regional topographic rise called Tharsis, home to three other well-known giant volcanoes: Ascraeus Mons, Pavonis Mons, and Arsia Mons.
- The central summit area is marked by several elevated mesas forming an arc, reaching a regional high and sloping downhill away from the summit area.
- The caldera remnant–the remains of a collapsed volcanic crater once host to a lava lake–can be seen near the centre of the structure.
- Lava flows, pyroclastic deposits (made of volcanic particulate materials such as ash, cinders, pumice and tephra), and hydrated mineral deposits occur in several areas within the structure’s perimeter.
- It was active for a very long time on the Red Planet, and in its southeastern part lies a thin, recent volcanic deposit beneath which glacier ice is likely still present.
