Science

Giant Lava Spirals Discovered on Mars: A Geologic First Outside of Earth

Researcher Discovers Lava Spirals on Mars

Lava spirals seen on Mars as evidence of volcanic activity. (Photo: NASA-JPL/University of Arizona via Space.com)

LOS ANGELES (The Blaze/AP) — A researcher has spotted lava flows shaped like coils of rope spiraling near the equator of Mars, the first time such geologic features have been discovered outside of Earth.

These twisty volcanic patterns can be found on Hawaii’s Big Island and in the Pacific seafloor on our planet. While evidence for lava flows is present in many places on Mars, none are shaped like this latest find.

“I was quite surprised and puzzled when I first saw the coils,” Andrew Ryan, a graduate student at Arizona State University, said in an email. He reported the discovery in Friday’s issue of the journal Science.

The biggest surprise? The largest Martian lava spiral measured 100 feet across — bigger than any on Earth. It is further evidence that Mars was volcanically active recently — geologically speaking within the past 20 million years.

For more than a decade, scientists debated whether this maze of valleys near the Martian equator was sculpted by ice or volcanic processes.

As part of a class project last year, Ryan analyzed about 100 high-resolution photos of the region snapped by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has been photographing the Martian surface since 2006. One evening, while taking a second look at the images, Ryan zoomed in and noticed the lava coils. He counted 269 spirals ranging from 16 feet to 100 feet across.

Ryan said he was not surprised the features were overlooked in the past since they blended in with the terrain.

Space.com has more from Ryan:

“You can’t see them unless you zoom in really close, and even then they’re really subtle — it’s pretty dusty there, so the images are just a pale gray color, and they don’t really jump out until you boost the contrast, so it‘s not surprising at all to me that they’ve been overlooked before,” Ryan said.

[...]

These spirals resemble lava coils on Earth, such as those forming on the surface of Hawaiian lava flows. “These can only be explained by lava processes,” Ryan said. “There are no known processes to twist ice around on that scale.”

Researcher Discovers Lava Spirals on Mars

1974 Hawiian lava flow shoes the similarities to the spirals seen on Mars. (Photo: NASA-JPL/University of Arizona via Space.com)

Planetary scientist David Paige of the University of California, Los Angeles, said the new work provides convincing evidence that the curious patterns were forged from volcanic activity.

This “illustrates just how complicated Mars’ geologic history appears to really be,” Paige wrote in an email. He was not part of the research team.

It’s believed that rivers of molten lava flowed through the Martian valleys into a broad basin where they settled and formed the coil shapes. The spiral shapes were preserved as the lava cooled.

There are no clear signs that the region today is volcanically active. With more observations, Ryan said it is possible lava coils may exist elsewhere on the red planet.

Comments (46)

  • Joe Schmuck
    Posted on April 27, 2012 at 8:10pm

    Art. Pure and simple … ART!

    Most likely from some overfed artist.

    Report Post » Joe Schmuck  
  • Secret Squirrel
    Posted on April 27, 2012 at 4:44pm

    .
    If they’re good, only Obama could have pulled this off.
    If they’re bad, then it‘s Bush’s fault.

    Report Post » Secret Squirrel  
  • Mark0331
    Posted on April 27, 2012 at 2:21pm

    Fibonacci is everywhere…

    Report Post » Mark0331  
    • PrinceWes
      Posted on April 27, 2012 at 6:45pm

      I was introduced to this a few months back and it I’m running into all sorts of people talking about it on Facebook etc and it still is blowing my mind….If anyone doesn’t know what Fibonacci is or Sacred Geometry, spend the time to check it out!

      Report Post » PrinceWes  
  • davenetdog
    Posted on April 27, 2012 at 9:29am

    Uzumaki whirlpools.

    Report Post »  
  • thebarbecuemaster
    Posted on April 27, 2012 at 3:38am

    when are we going to seee the pictures of the ancient canals and old martian towns and civilization that went extinct on mars?

    Report Post »  
  • asybot12
    Posted on April 27, 2012 at 2:17am

    Thanks guys all of you must have landed on your funny bones tonight thanks!! I needed that after all the BS the last few days.

    Report Post »  
  • asybot12
    Posted on April 27, 2012 at 2:10am

    I used to go down to the beach at low tide and saw many similar patterns caused by volcanic outburst from clams, good eating and didn’t have to travel to Mars or spend a fortune on scholarships either.

    Report Post »  
  • blaaaaackwoman
    Posted on April 27, 2012 at 2:03am

    My dog has laid some giant coils of poo, perhaps dog beings on Mars?

    Report Post »  
  • Itsjusttim
    Posted on April 27, 2012 at 1:21am

    I was thinking if they were to find intelligent life in the galaxy, or lets say intelligent life came to earth – what if they want to call earth by the name they call it? What if they have been lookig at earth for 1000 years and they have different names for the continents, seas and land structures named after prominent people from their own planet? And what if they have bigger better guns?

    Report Post » Itsjusttim  
    • marine249
      Posted on April 27, 2012 at 1:45am

      @ TIM

      If they are looking for intelligent life,
      are they looking for you?

      Report Post »  
    • Itsjusttim
      Posted on April 27, 2012 at 1:51am

      marine249,
      Is that what you say?

      Report Post » Itsjusttim  
  • Itsjusttim
    Posted on April 27, 2012 at 1:10am

    Oh wow, you mean there’s volcanoes outside from earth, who would have thunk it? It’s funny that scientists and atheists need constant reassurance that life exists outside of earth. I mean, how can people not know there is life outside of earth? I think they look not because they want to find it, but because they want to prove it doesn’t exist, so they feel more elite. But it does exist, and I think scientists are the real ‘flat-earthers.” I mean what do they hope to prove, that the earth wasn’t created in 6 days? Only an unthoughtful blindly comfortable churchgoer believes the earth was created in 6 days. Meanwhile the truly spiritual know it was the awareness of existence and the understanding that not all people are the same that was created in 6 days, but of course it wasn’t just 6 – 24 hr days.

    Report Post » Itsjusttim  
    • marine249
      Posted on April 27, 2012 at 1:18am

      Hi Tim glad to see you
      got from Regula.

      Report Post »  
    • Itsjusttim
      Posted on April 27, 2012 at 1:31am

      People who always have jokes always have an ulterior angle.

      Report Post » Itsjusttim  
    • marine249
      Posted on April 27, 2012 at 1:41am

      I lean to the far right

      Report Post »  
    • Itsjusttim
      Posted on April 27, 2012 at 1:42am

      You know why many Americans have jokes, because growing up for most was too easy. You were put by your parents in a Garden of Eden of sorts, and then as you got older your nakedness was discovered, and so you made yourself clothes of fig leaves to cover your nakedness. It’s a type of Sharia actually that you do to yourself.

      Report Post » Itsjusttim  
  • Shadowangel
    Posted on April 27, 2012 at 1:00am

    Good catch Andrew! and congratulations.

    Report Post »  
  • Conservative_T-Rex
    Posted on April 26, 2012 at 11:57pm

    well of course Mars has volcanic activity… it’s a planet. I could’ve told u that.

    game/quiz for avid fox news watchers: http://www.sporcle.com/games/Bohnfather/fox-news-personalities

    Report Post »  
  • anotherGlen
    Posted on April 26, 2012 at 11:50pm

    If only the martians would have heeded the warnings of Al(ien) Gore, their fearless leader, and avoided the global warming that burned off all of their atmosphere, then they would be alive today to explain all this strange stuff to us. These weird coils are probably remains of giant snails that roamed the surface of Mars, the green surface cleaners of the planet.

    Report Post » anotherGlen  
    • v15
      Posted on April 27, 2012 at 3:19am

      Maybe Al(ien) Gore, after destroying the snails on Mars, slimed his way to Earth, put on an ugly deformed human disguise, and is now trying to destroy Earth just like he destroyed Mars.

      I’m still wondering what creature lurks beneath its human disguise that we all call “George Soros” ya know? Maybe lots of antennae and tentacles.

      Report Post » v15  
    • Dismayed Veteran
      Posted on April 27, 2012 at 12:16pm

      Since we are talking about SGT Gore, when he smiles he looks like Jack Nickloson in “The Shining”.

      Report Post » Dismayed Veteran  
  • marine249
    Posted on April 26, 2012 at 11:44pm

    has anyone seen tim or did he go back
    to planet regula which is just down the road
    from mars

    Report Post »  
  • CatB
    Posted on April 26, 2012 at 11:43pm

    Global Warming … Global Warming .. .oh wait .. Climate Change! Climate Change! .. .the sky is falling .. send cash. ALGORE.

    Report Post »  
  • COFemale
    Posted on April 26, 2012 at 11:37pm

    Quick, find all the hidden animals in the picture.

    Report Post » COFemale  
    • asybot12
      Posted on April 27, 2012 at 2:04am

      Just read your comment , thanks LOL

      Report Post »  
    • v15
      Posted on April 27, 2012 at 2:52am

      I have a solution: Everyone on Earth should put down their weapons and put all of our wars on pause while Russia, China, and the United States (really any country can join in on some level) build a ton of rockets with nukes we want to dispose of – basically a huge joint venture between NASA and the military – and fire all of those nukes at Mars until we have either blown it out of orbit and/or destroyed it completely. Then we could all say, “Hey! We worked together and we blew up Mars! That was a great experience!” and it would be an excellent bonding experience – sort of a “hurray for Earth” moment. Imagine it: Jews standing with Muslims, Atheists with Christians, etc. Everyone would have a natural high and feel a great sense of accomplishment. Then we could go back to our wars, slavery, drug cartels, etc.

      Report Post » v15  
  • 13th Generation American
    Posted on April 26, 2012 at 11:33pm

    God created Mars 6 thousand years ago, these scientists don’t read the bible at all.

    Report Post » 13th Generation American  
    • lukerw
      Posted on April 26, 2012 at 11:53pm

      You mean the Scientists that said… Mathematics proves that the Universe is Ordered… and Disasters alike in the Bible are impossible?

      Report Post » lukerw  
    • 13th Generation American
      Posted on April 27, 2012 at 12:01am

      You need to do some learnin

      Dr. Lawrence Krauss is an American Theoretical Physicist, Professor of Physics, Foundation Professor of the School of Earth and Space Exploration and Director of the Origins Project at the Arizona State University.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ImvlS8PLIo&feature=related

      Report Post » 13th Generation American  
    • Rayblue
      Posted on April 27, 2012 at 1:18am

      Another Sagan. Lots of mouth with a rote understanding even of theory.
      Academia will never have all the answers. Even though they tend to believe they do.

      Report Post » Rayblue  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on April 26, 2012 at 11:33pm

    I am not suprised, look at the martian volcano Olympus Mons; that is more than enough proof of maritan vulcanism in the past.

    Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
    • asybot12
      Posted on April 27, 2012 at 2:07am

      Thanks snow, that one did not slip by me either, just another post grad looking for a big grant.

      Report Post »  
  • oswell
    Posted on April 26, 2012 at 11:32pm

    Things are looking up, there’s Little Debbie Pecan Twirls on Mars

    Report Post » oswell  
  • jeanr
    Posted on April 26, 2012 at 11:31pm

    What a bunch of crackpot eggheads. It‘s not in the bible so I don’t believe it. I just wish it was more like old times like when the Church locked up Galileo and forbade him from writing for the last 10 years of his life. Now THAT’S how to solve a nuisance liberal nutcase.

    Report Post »  
  • Texan4ever
    Posted on April 26, 2012 at 11:18pm

    Looks like the dried up mid pit down the street.

    Report Post » Texan4ever  
  • lukerw
    Posted on April 26, 2012 at 11:14pm

    So, with Volcanoes and Lava Flows… means.. the previous Science about Ice Glaciers was all wrong? Or was it Global Warming?

    Report Post » lukerw  
  • v15
    Posted on April 26, 2012 at 11:06pm

    If Sheila Jackson Lee asks about the Lava Spirals tell her they are a few miles west of where Neil Armstrong planted the American Flag!!

    Report Post » v15  
    • KickinBack
      Posted on April 26, 2012 at 11:12pm

      She won’t have to ask, she’s quite familiar with them. That is her home planet after all.

      Report Post » KickinBack  
    • v15
      Posted on April 27, 2012 at 4:12am

      ..which means:

      (1) Martians are racists
      or
      (2) The Martians kicked her off Mars to be exiled on Earth

      Report Post » v15  

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