Thermal Anomaly Discovered Below Mars' South Pole

Mars Is Hotter On One Side... Under Its South Pole, Adding More Weirdness To Its Planetary “Dichotomy”

The Northern and Southern Hemispheres of Mars are very different.

Tidal tomography reveals a thermal anomaly beneath Mars’s crustal dichotomy

Mars undergoes seasonal tidal forcing as a result of its eccentric orbit and the tilt of its rotation axis relative to the Sun1. Response to this forcing produces temporal variations in the Martian gravity field and is sensitive to the internal structure of the planet2–4. Using tracking data from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS), Mars Odyssey (ODY) and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft5–7, we demonstrate that degree-3 components of the time-variable gravity field of Mars differ by up to 300% from predictions for a spherically symmetric planet8–10. These deviations can be explained if the effective shear modulus of the mantle varies by >20% over a roughly north–south pattern that closely aligns with the surface expression of the Martian crustal dichotomy11. On the basis of this correlation, we infer preservation of a 200–400 °C thermal anomaly in the present-day mantle below the southern highlands of Mars. This temperature variation could reflect regional mantle convection12,13 or insulation by the thick southern highlands crust of Mars that has persisted over several billion years14,15. Analysis of tracking data from Mars orbiters reveals time-variable gravity field behaviour reflecting the structure underlying the Martian crustal dichotomy and indicates the preservation of a 200–400 °C thermal anomaly in the present-day mantle below the southern highlands.

Thermal anomaly discovered below Mars' south pole

Researchers have discovered a thermal asymmetry deep beneath the surface across Mars' southern hemisphere. Based on gravitational measurements that provide clues to the Red Planet's interior structure, Mars' southern interior is around 200 to 400 degrees Celsius warmer than the planet's northern half and partially molten. The surprising finding adds context to Martian history and the periods during which it may have hosted conditions favorable f…

Scientists Discover Vast Underground 'Anomaly' on Mars

Scientists have discovered a thermal “anomaly” deep underground on Mars that could help explain the red planet’s divided geography and shed light on whether it once hosted alien life, according to a study published Wednesday in Nature.Using a novel approach involving three Martian orbiters, the team peered into the interior of the planet and detected that its mantle—the layer between its crust and the core—is 400 to 750°F hotter in the southern …