Mystery of the bizarre 'UFO' formation on Mars is solved: Scientists claim it was created by massive volcanic eruptions 3 billion years ago

  • Medusae Fossae, spotted in the 1960s, is described by Nasa as an 'enigmatic pile of eroding sediments' 
  • The unusual deposit of soft rock near Mars's equator could be the result of eruptions 3 billion years ago
  • Conspiracy theorists have previously mistaken the exotic shapes of the formation for an alien ship 

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The mystery of a strange Martian rock formation that has baffled scientists for decades has now been solved.

Since its discovery in the 1960s, researchers have been trying to work out exactly what causes the undulating hills and sharp ridges of the Medusae Fossae formation.

The formation covers an area of about 2 million sq km (770,000 sq miles) around the Martian equator and is described by Nasa as an 'enigmatic pile of eroding sediments'.

In the absence of any scientific explanation, conspiracy theorists have said that at least some of the exotic shapes found in the area belong to a 'crashed UFO'.

But a new study claims the rocks in this area of Mars are in fact the remains of volcanic eruptions that would have changed the climate of the red planet 3 billion years ago. 

The incredible formation is one-fifth as large as the continental United States and covers almost ten times the area of the United Kingdom meaning it could be the largest explosive volcanic deposit in the solar system. 

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Ancient supervolcanic eruptions that shot jets of hot ash, rock and gas into the sky could be the source of one of Mars's most mysterious rock formations, Medusae Fossae (pictured)

Ancient supervolcanic eruptions that shot jets of hot ash, rock and gas into the sky could be the source of one of Mars's most mysterious rock formations, Medusae Fossae (pictured)

Scientists first observed the Medusae Fossae with Nasa's Mariner spacecraft in the 1960s but were unsure whether wind, water, ice or volcanic eruptions deposited the mass of rock debris. 

In 2016, conspiracy theorists even claimed the formation was a crashed spacecraft from an alien civilisation.

Using photographs released by Nasa, YouTube channel 'UFOvni2012' put their own spin on the origins of the 'large geological unit of uncertain origin'.

'If we take a look at the crash site we see that the UFO, which is approximately 190 metres wide, impacted the surface at a low angle ending up half buried in the Martian soil', UFO-hunter Scott Waring who runs the channel said.

‘The long and turned landing tracks left behind from the craft show that the ship crash landed as gently as it could,' he said.

However, Nigel Watson, author of the UFO Investigation Manual, said it was 'more likely to be a natural geological formation'. 

Scientists now say the formation of the Medusae Fossae would have marked a pivotal point in Mars's history and altered the climate of the red planet. 

'This is a massive deposit, not only on a Martian scale, but also in terms of the solar system, because we do not know of any other deposit that is like this,' said Lujendra Ojha, a planetary scientist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and lead author of the new study. 

The explosive eruption was so vast it would have ejected enough water to cover Mars in a global ocean more than four inches (nine centimetres) thick, researchers said.

Greenhouse gases exhaled during the eruptions could have warmed Mars' surface enough for water to remain liquid at its surface, according to the study, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research.

However, toxic volcanic gases like hydrogen sulphide and sulphur dioxide would have also been spewed into the atmosphere.

Researchers used data from various Mars orbiter spacecraft to measure the Medusae Fossae's density for the first time.

They found the rock is unusually porous and is about two-thirds as dense as the rest of the Martian crust.

In 2016, conspiracy theorists claimed the formation was a crashed spacecraft from an alien civilisation
Using photographs released by Nasa, YouTube channel 'UFOvni2012' put their own spin on the origins of the 'large geological unit of uncertain origin'

In 2016, conspiracy theorists claimed the formation was a crashed spacecraft (overlay, left) from an alien civilisation. Using photographs released by Nasa, YouTube channel 'UFOvni2012' put their own spin on the origins of the 'large geological unit of uncertain origin' 

According to a new study, the Medusae Fossae Formation (pictured), an unusual deposit of soft rock near Mars's equator, could be from three billion-year-old volcanic eruptions

According to a new study, the Medusae Fossae Formation (pictured), an unusual deposit of soft rock near Mars's equator, could be from three billion-year-old volcanic eruptions

Scientists found that the mysterious formation, whose origin had baffled scientists for decades, is made up of sedimentary rock spewed from volcanoes. These shapes (pictured) are caused by wind erosion of a soft fine-grained rock

Scientists found that the mysterious formation, whose origin had baffled scientists for decades, is made up of sedimentary rock spewed from volcanoes. These shapes (pictured) are caused by wind erosion of a soft fine-grained rock

Scientists first observed the formation with Nasa's Mariner spacecraft in the 1960s but were perplexed as to how it formed. Greenhouse gases exhaled during the eruptions could have warmed Mars's surface enough for water to remain liquid at its surface. Pictured are blade-like walls found on the formation

Scientists first observed the formation with Nasa's Mariner spacecraft in the 1960s but were perplexed as to how it formed. Greenhouse gases exhaled during the eruptions could have warmed Mars's surface enough for water to remain liquid at its surface. Pictured are blade-like walls found on the formation

Toxic volcanic gases like hydrogen sulphide and sulphur dioxide would have also been spewed into the atmosphere.  These shapes (pictured) are caused by wind erosion of a soft fine-grained rock

Toxic volcanic gases like hydrogen sulphide and sulphur dioxide would have also been spewed into the atmosphere.  These shapes (pictured) are caused by wind erosion of a soft fine-grained rock

Scientists have known about the Medusae Fossae for decades, but were unsure whether wind, water, ice or volcanic eruptions deposited rock debris in that location. Pictured is a satellite scan of hills and craters in the formation

Scientists have known about the Medusae Fossae for decades, but were unsure whether wind, water, ice or volcanic eruptions deposited rock debris in that location. Pictured is a satellite scan of hills and craters in the formation

Previous radar measurements of Mars¿s surface suggested the Medusae Fossae had an unusual composition. However, scientists were unable to determine whether it was made of highly porous rock or a mixture of rock and ice. This image shows a satellite scan of features found across the huge formation

Previous radar measurements of Mars’s surface suggested the Medusae Fossae had an unusual composition. However, scientists were unable to determine whether it was made of highly porous rock or a mixture of rock and ice. This image shows a satellite scan of features found across the huge formation

Researchers used radar and gravity data to show the Medusae Fossae's (pictured) density cannot be explained by the presence of ice, which is much less dense than rock

Researchers used radar and gravity data to show the Medusae Fossae's (pictured) density cannot be explained by the presence of ice, which is much less dense than rock

WHAT IS THE MEDUSAE FOSSAE FORMATION ON MARS?

The three billion-year-old Medusae Fossae Formation consists of hills and mounds of sedimentary rock straddling Mars’s equator. 

Scientists have known about the Medusae Fossae for decades, but were unsure whether wind, water, ice or volcanic eruptions deposited rock debris in that location.

Previous radar measurements of Mars’s surface suggested the Medusae Fossae had an unusual composition.

However, scientists were unable to determine whether it was made of highly porous rock or a mixture of rock and ice.

Now, scientists from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore say it is the remains of volcanic eruptions that would have changed the climate of the red planet.

They believe formation of the Medusae Fossae, which is one-fifth as large as the continental United States, would have marked a pivotal point in Mars's history and altered the climate of the red planet.  

Greenhouse gases exhaled during the eruptions could have warmed Mars's surface enough for water to remain liquid at its surface, according to the study, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research.

Toxic volcanic gases like hydrogen sulphide and sulphur dioxide would have also been spewed into the atmosphere.

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They also used radar and gravity data to show the Medusae Fossae's density cannot be explained by the presence of ice, which is much less dense than rock.

Because the rock is so porous, they believe it must have been deposited by explosive volcanic eruptions. 

As much as half of the soft rock originally deposited during the eruptions has eroded away, leaving behind the hills and valleys seen in the Medusae Fossae today.

Scientists know Mars has some water and carbon dioxide in its crust that allow explosive volcanic eruptions to happen on its surface.

The ancient eruption would have ejected enough water to cover Mars in a global ocean more than four inches (nine centimetres) thick, researchers say

The ancient eruption would have ejected enough water to cover Mars in a global ocean more than four inches (nine centimetres) thick, researchers say

As much as half of the soft rock originally deposited during the eruptions has eroded away, leaving behind the hills and valleys seen in the Medusae Fossae (pictured) today

As much as half of the soft rock originally deposited during the eruptions has eroded away, leaving behind the hills and valleys seen in the Medusae Fossae (pictured) today

Scientists know Mars has some water and carbon dioxide in its crust that allow explosive volcanic eruptions to happen on its surface. Pictured is the Medusae Fossae Formation

Scientists know Mars has some water and carbon dioxide in its crust that allow explosive volcanic eruptions to happen on its surface. Pictured is the Medusae Fossae Formation

The new finding could add to scientists¿ understanding of Mars¿s interior and its past potential for habitability, according to the study¿s authors. Earlier this year, researchers found oceans on Mars formed 300 million years earlier than first thought

The new finding could add to scientists’ understanding of Mars’s interior and its past potential for habitability, according to the study’s authors. Earlier this year, researchers found oceans on Mars formed 300 million years earlier than first thought

Previous research suggests the planet's water systems appeared after a series of massive volcanic eruptions permanently altered the planet's surface around 4 billion years ago. Pictured is the Medusae Fossae Formation

Previous research suggests the planet's water systems appeared after a series of massive volcanic eruptions permanently altered the planet's surface around 4 billion years ago. Pictured is the Medusae Fossae Formation

This graphic shows the relative size of the Medusae Fossae Formation compared to Fish Canyon Tuff, the largest explosive volcanic deposit on Earth. The Medusae Fossae has an area of about 2 million square kilometres (1.2 square miles). Fish Canyon Tuff, when it was deposited, covered an area of about 30,000 square kilometres (18,000 square miles)

This graphic shows the relative size of the Medusae Fossae Formation compared to Fish Canyon Tuff, the largest explosive volcanic deposit on Earth. The Medusae Fossae has an area of about 2 million square kilometres (1.2 square miles). Fish Canyon Tuff, when it was deposited, covered an area of about 30,000 square kilometres (18,000 square miles)

However, the planet's interior would have needed massive amounts of volatile gases – substances that become gas at low temperatures – to create a deposit of this size.

'If you were to distribute the Medusae Fossae globally, it would make a 9.7-meter (32-foot) thick layer', Dr Ojha said.

'Given the sheer magnitude of this deposit, it really is incredible because it implies that the magma was not only rich in volatiles and also that it had to be volatile-rich for long periods of time.' 

'Future gravity surveys could help distinguish between ice, sediments and igneous rocks in the upper crust of the planet,' Kevin Lewis, a planetary scientist at Johns Hopkins University and co-author of the new study.

The new finding could add to scientists’ understanding of Mars’s interior and its past potential for habitability, according to the study’s authors. 

Earlier this year, researchers found oceans on Mars formed 300 million years earlier than first thought.

 If you were to distribute the Medusae Fossae (pictured) globally, it would make a 9.7-meter (32-foot) thick layer, researchers found

 If you were to distribute the Medusae Fossae (pictured) globally, it would make a 9.7-meter (32-foot) thick layer, researchers found

Pictured is a global geographic map of Mars, with the location of the Medusae Fossae Formation circled in red. Scientists know Mars has some water and carbon dioxide in its crust that allow explosive volcanic eruptions to happen on its surface

Pictured is a global geographic map of Mars, with the location of the Medusae Fossae Formation circled in red. Scientists know Mars has some water and carbon dioxide in its crust that allow explosive volcanic eruptions to happen on its surface

The formation of Mars's oceans was linked to the violent rise of Tharsis, a 3,000-mile- (5,000km)-wide string of volcanoes that make up the solar system's largest volcanic system. Pictured is the Medusae Fossae Formation

The formation of Mars's oceans was linked to the violent rise of Tharsis, a 3,000-mile- (5,000km)-wide string of volcanoes that make up the solar system's largest volcanic system. Pictured is the Medusae Fossae Formation

Research suggests the planet's water systems appeared after a series of massive volcanic eruptions permanently altered the planet's surface around 4 billion years ago.

The formation of Mars's oceans was linked to the violent rise of Tharsis, a 3,000-mile- (5,000km)-wide string of volcanoes that make up the solar system's largest volcanic system.

Tharsis likely spewed gases into the atmosphere that created a global warming or greenhouse effect, which allowed liquid water to exist on the planet.

Nearly a third of the surface of Mars was covered by oceans of liquid water early in the planet's geological history, but how they formed has largely remained a mystery.

Study lead author and UC Berkeley scientist Dr Michael Manga said: 'The assumption was that Tharsis formed quickly and early, rather than gradually, and that the oceans came later.

'We're saying that the oceans predate and accompany the lava outpourings that made Tharsis.

'Volcanoes may be important in creating the conditions for Mars to be wet.'

Eruptions triggered by the volcanic system also created channels that allowed underground water to reach the surface and fill the northern plains, Dr Manga said.

DO SCIENTISTS BELIEVE WE COULD EVER FIND LIFE ON MARS?

Over the years, scientists have found a number of promising signs that life may have been present on Mars, including evidence of water, chemical reactions, and expansive ice lakes beneath the surface.

Life on Mars is unlikely to have flourished on the surface, given the harsh conditions – including radiation, solar winds, and frigid temperatures.

As a result, many scientists believe organisms evolved to live beneath the surface of the Red Planet.

In November 2016, Dr Christian Schröder, an environmental science and planetary exploration lecturer at Stirling University, said: ‘For life to exist in the areas we investigated, it would need to find pockets far beneath the surface, located away from the dryness and radiation present on the ground.’

This is supported by evidence of water beneath the surface.

Researchers have identified mudstones and sedimentary bands on Mars, which only form when there is water present for thousands of years.

Vast oceans of ice have also been uncovered, lying just below the surface of the planet.

The presence of ice and water beneath the Red Planet greatly increases the chances that there was once at least microscopic life on Mars and that some form of the organism could be living there today.

'Any place on Earth we find liquid water we find life,’ Jim Crocker, vice president of Lockheed Martin's Space Systems said in August 2016.

‘It's very exciting to understand the possibility that life could possibly have started on Mars before it lost its atmosphere, and perhaps even in the deeper surfaces, where water is still liquid because of the heat of the planet, perhaps there's bacterial life.'

Having water just below the surface also means that human colonies could survive and even thrive on the planet and indicates that fuel for manned spaceflight could be manufactured there.

In 2017, Nasa's Curiosity rover also found evidence of boron on the red planet's surface.

This is another key ingredient for life, and scientists say the find is a huge boost in the hunt for life.

Boron was unearthed in the Gale Cater, which is 3.8 billion years old, younger than the likely formation of life on Earth.

That means the conditions from which life could have potentially grown may have existed on ancient Mars, long before organisms began to develop on Earth.

A controversial 2001 study into a 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite, dubbed ALH84001, which was found in Antarctica's Allan Hills ice field in 1984, claimed it had definitive prove of life on Mars.

Meteorite ALH84001 was blasted off the surface of Mars by a comet or asteroid 15 million years ago, and Nasa researchers said it contains proof the Red Planet was once teeming with bugs which lived at the bottom of shallow pools and lakes.

They also suggested there would have been plants or organisms capable of photosynthesis and complex ecosystems on Mars.

However British experts said at the time that the evidence, though exciting, had to be treated with caution and could not be taken as conclusive, since many non-biological chemical processes could also explain what was found.

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