If life on Mars exists, it may dwell in a violent home.
The Red Planet is no stranger to fiery volcanic eruptions: It is home to the solar system’s largest volcano, Olympus Mons. The planet is also well-endowed with ice, which has collected in large sheets near its north and south poles. Yet a key ingredient for life as we know it — liquid water — remains elusive.
But what if fire met ice in the Martian north? On Earth, volcanoes sometimes erupt beneath glaciers, melting huge quantities of water and spawning massive floods. Lakes of meltwater are sometimes pinned at the bottoms of glaciers.