There are quite a number of large craters on the surface of Mars whose origins have not been fully explained. Now NASA's latest research reveals that from the very beginning, Mars had been 'terrorized' by a super-eruption from a giant ancient volcano in the past.
Scientists initially thought the large indentations on the surface of Mars were the result of asteroid impacts. However, the characteristics are not suitable and more suitable because the surface collapses, resulting in a hole.
The area north of Mars, called Arabia Terra, appears to be the site of the most powerful volcanic explosions. The eruption released water vapor, carbon dioxide, and sulfur over a period of 500 million years, about 4 billion years ago.
"Every time there is an eruption there will be a significant climate impact, maybe the atmosphere will thicken and block the Sun so that the atmosphere is cooler," said Patrick Whelley, NASA scientist.
After releasing the material in very large quantities, the giant volcano on the Planet Mars collapsed so that the holes on Earth were called calderas. Seven calderas were observed in the Arabia Terra area, so it was possible that many supervolcanoes were in this location.
The conclusion was taken after examining evidence in the form of ash material examined by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft. However, there are some questions that require further research.
For example, how can such a volcano be concentrated in only one region of Planet Mars? Because on Earth, volcanoes with similar eruptions exist in many areas. "How can such a small planet have thousands of super-eruptions in one location? I hope this is researched in other studies," said Jacob Richardson, a NASA geologist.
