Space & Astronomy

Mysterious 'island' discovered on Mars

By T.K. Randall
December 7, 2014 ·  21 comments

The puzzling ring-shaped feature is surrounded by what was once a lava flow. Image Credit: NASA Measuring 1.2 miles in diameter, the peculiar landform was photographed from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Its irregular texture and circular shape stand out like a sore thumb against the smooth surrounding terrain which was produced by some of the planet's most recent lava flows.

Experts have been struggling to determine exactly what processes might have given rise to its formation.

"Perhaps lava has intruded underneath this mound and pushed it up from beneath," NASA suggests on its website. "It looks as if material is missing from the mound, so it is also possible that there was a significant amount of ice in the mound that was driven out by the heat of the lava."

Source: CNET.com | Comments (21)

Tags: Mars