Space.com contributing writer Stefanie Waldek is a self-taught space nerd and aviation geek who is passionate about all things spaceflight and astronomy.
Is Mars really red? A physicist explains the planet’s reddish hue and why it looks different to some telescopesNew research suggests the interior of Mars is far messier than scientists once believed. Instead of neat, layered structures, perhaps resembling a smooth slice of Millionaire's Shortbread, Mars' mantle is more like a rocky road brownie — chunky, uneven, and filled with ancient debris from its violent beginnings.
, noting interference patterns consistent with a mantle riddled with large fragments of different materials. Those fragments are estimated to be up to 2.5 miles wide. The team suggests these fragments formed in Mars' early days, when the world was bombarded by planet-size objects."These colossal impacts unleashed enough energy to melt large parts of the young planet into vast magma oceans," lead researcher Dr. Constantinos Charalambous said in a statement."As those magma oceans cooled and crystallized, they left behind compositionally distinct chunks of material — and we believe it’s these we're now detecting deep inside Mars."Could signs of Mars life be hidden in its thick layers of clay?constantly mix the crust back into the mantle through subduction zones. Mars, however, has a static interior."What happened on Mars is that, after those early events, the surface solidified into a stagnant lid,” said Charalambous."It sealed off the mantle beneath, locking in those ancient chaotic features — like a planetary time capsule.""InSight's data continues to reshape how we think about the formation of rocky planets, and Mars in particular,” Dr. Mark Panning of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which led the InSight mission, said in a statement."It's exciting to see scientists making new discoveries with the quakes we detected!"Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsto keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: Space.com contributing writer Stefanie Waldek is a self-taught space nerd and aviation geek who is passionate about all things spaceflight and astronomy. With a background in travel and design journalism, as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree from New York University, she specializes in the budding space tourism industry and Earth-based astrotourism. In her free time, you can find her watching rocket launches or looking up at the stars, wondering what is out there. Learn more about her work atA mysterious substance on Mars might be an undiscovered mineralMars orbiter looks deep into chasms and valleys on the Martian surfaceDune patterns in California desert hold clues that help researchers map Mars’ shifting sandsNASA's Perseverance rover spies mysterious 'helmet' on Mars 'The turtles and the nudists will have to migrate': SpaceX plan for Starship launches from Florida sparks debate among Space Coast residentsThere's nothing original about 'Strange New Worlds' latest episode, 'Terrarium', but it's classic 'Star Trek''The turtles and the nudists will have to migrate': SpaceX plan for Starship launches from Florida sparks debate among Space Coast residents
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