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Scientists have discovered a jumbo vent onMarsthat has been " shroud in plain sight " for more than 50 geezerhood .
The volcano is around 280 miles ( 450 km ) astray and more than 29,600 foot ( 9,000 meters ) high . It is settle in the eastern part of Mars ' Tharsis volcanic province near the satellite ’s equator , scientist divulge at the55th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference , hold in Texas between March 11 and 15 .
The newly discovered giant volcano is located near Mars' equator. It is pictured in the image above in relation to other volcanoes found within the Tharsis region of the planet.
The team also make out what appear to be the remains of a sail of buried glacier water ice near the groundwork of the vent . They trust this could make the vent a " prime locating " for astrobiological inquiry and the search for signs ofalien life .
" This combined giant volcano and potential glacier ice discovery is significant , as it points to an exciting new location to study Mars ' geologic evolution through time , search for life , and research with automaton and humans in the future , " the scientists say in astatement .
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A closer look at the site where the volcano was discovered on Mars.
Spacecraft orb Mars have been unknowingly project the volcano ever sinceNASA’sMariner 9was sent to the Red Planet in 1971 . However , the vent is so deeply eroded that it has fall away under the radar , until now .
" We were examining the geology of an area where we had found the clay of a glacier last twelvemonth when we realized we were inside a huge and profoundly eroded volcano , " project leaderPascal Lee , a worldwide scientist with the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence ( SETI ) Institute and the Mars Institute base at NASA Ames Research Center , said in the statement .
The volcano , which has yet to be officially appoint , is located in one of Mars ' most iconic realm , at the boundary between themaze - like Noctis Labyrinthus , meaning " labyrinth of the night , " and the gigantic canon ofValles Marineris , or Mariner Valley . The vent is believed to have been active from ancient times until relatively latterly , given its " gigantic size " and " complex modification account , " the team say .
The volcano has a central summit area marked by raise , flattened orbit address mesas , which forge an electric arc shape , sloping downwards . The side around the mesas disseminate for 140 nautical mile ( 225 km ) in different directions . Near the center of the volcano , there looks like the remains of a collapse volcanic crater that would have once host a lava lake . There are also the cadaver of lava flow , as well as volcanic and hydrated mineral deposits , around the edge of the volcano .
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Many questions about the vent remain , include incisively how long it has been active and whether it still is . If the volcano has been active for a long prison term , it ’s possible that the combining of free burning passion and water from the chicken feed sheet below the volcano may have make the pure conditions to support life , the authors said .
The findings have yet to be published in a peer - retrospect journal . In the meanwhile , further details of the discovery can be say in asummary documentfrom the group discussion .
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