Study: Martian volcanoes might be active

September 6, 2005

British scientists say fields of volcanic cones discovered at the North Pole of Mars suggest the Red Planet might still be geologically active.

The cones, seen in images from Europe's Mars Express space probe, have no blemishes from impact craters, suggesting the volcanoes erupted very recently and the site could have ongoing volcanism, the BBC reported Tuesday.

"Mars is a planet that was very recently active -- maybe 1, or 2, or 3 million years ago," Mars Express scientist Gerhand Neukum told the BBC. "And in some areas, I have the impression it is really ongoing."

Neukum presented his findings during a meeting of the American Astronomical Society's Division of Planetary Sciences in Cambridge.

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