Scientists discovered evidence of tridymite on Mars based on the analysis of data sent back by NASA's Curiosity rover. Tridymite is a mineral associated with volatile volcanoes on Earth.
What the Curiosity rover unearthed on Mars has the potential to rewrite what we know about the red planet so far.
"It's really nifty, but we were shocked ... There's no evidence for plate tectonics on Mars. That's why it's such a surprise to find this tridymite," said lead researcher Richard Morris, who is also a geochemist at NASA's Johnson Space Center.
Unlike Earth, Mars doesn't have shifting plates that result in volatile volcanoes and massive earthquakes. This led planetary scientists to claim that Mars' geological history is tame when compared to our own.
Prior to the discovery of tridymite, the volcanic evidence they found on Mars was more of the steady flowing kind: basaltic volcanoes similar to those that formed the islands of Hawaii. This suggested that the Martian volcanoes formed as a result of the melting hot mantle plumes found below the planet's surface.
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