“Exploring Mars: 5 Mysterious and Fascinating Places to Visit”

2. The Tharsis area, home to many large volcanoes

Illustration of the Tharsis Region on Mars (pixabay.com/WikiImages)

Mount Olympus isn’t the only massive volcano on Mars. Mars has the Tharsis plains, large volcanic plains in the western hemisphere of Mars. Reported MarspediaThese plains cover 25% of Mars’ surface and are home to 12 gigantic volcanoes stretching 2,000 kilometers wide.

Some of the famous and striking giant mountains are Ascraeus Monds, Pavonis Mons, dan Arsia Mons. According to researchers, the height of these volcanoes is due to the weak gravitational force of Mars which allows them to grow tall. In addition, Reported by Space, in the past these mountains have rocked Mars for 2 billion years!

3. The north and south poles, layers of ice that come from carbon dioxide

illustration of polar regions on Mars (unsplash.com/NASA)

Like Earth, Mars has two poles covered by a thick layer of ice and dust. However, the poles on Mars are much colder than Earth. Reported Arizona State University, the temperature at the poles of Mars in winter reaches -153 degrees Celsius! This low temperature causes carbon dioxide to immediately freeze in winter and form ice at the poles of Mars.

When spring arrives, the carbon dioxide will turn into a gas and be released into the atmosphere. However, there are layers of ice that remain and last for hundreds of years or even millions of years. In addition, the ice cycle at the poles of Mars is responsible for 25% of the air cycle in the Martian atmosphere every year.

Also Read: Artificial Intelligence can Help Find Life on Mars

4. Valles Marineris, the largest canyon in the universe

illustration of the Valles Marineris canyon on Mars (unsplash.com/Joshua Woroniecki)

Not only has the largest volcano in our solar system, Mars also has the largest canyon in the universe, you know. Its name is Valles Marineris or Mariner’s Valley. Reported NASAthis gorge stretches for 4,000 kilometers and reaches a depth of 7 kilometers!

As a comparison, Grand Canyon in Arizona, United States is only 800 kilometers long and 1.6 kilometers deep. Researchers agree that Valles Marineris is the largest tectonic rift on Mars and was formed along with the formation of the Tharsis volcanic region. One more interesting thing, there are several paths that might be formed by the flow of water.

5. Gale Crater, possibly storing traces of water and life on Mars

illustration of Gale Crater (unsplash.com/NASA)

According to researchers, Gale Crater holds evidence of the existence of water on Mars in the past. Reported NASAThis crater was formed by a meteor strike 3.7 billion years ago. The impact created a basin with a mountain in the middle which is known as Aeolis Mons.

Even though this crater was formed from a meteor strike, the texture and slope of this crater seem to have been formed by flowing water. Moreover, researchers also found organic material in this crater rock. This suggests that billions of years ago, this crater was a lake and there could be microbial life in this crater.

There are still many places on Mars that are still unexplored and hold many mysteries. Although it still seems a long time before common humans can go to Mars, there’s nothing wrong with not dreaming from now on.

Read also: 10 unique objects on Mars, some of which are very strange