Mars’ “Young” Volcanoes Were More Complex Than Scientists Once Thought
What appears to be a single volcanic eruption is often the result of complex processes operating deep beneath the surface, where magma moves, evolves, and changes over long periods of time. To fully understand how volcanoes work, scientists study the volcanic products that erupt at the surface, which can reveal the hidden magmatic systems feeding volcanic activity.
New research published recently in Geology shows that this complexity also applies to Mars. Recent high-resolution morphological observations and mineral analyses provided from orbit revealed that some of the planet’s youngest volcanic systems experienced a far more intricate eruptive history than scientists once thought. Rather than forming during single, short-lived eruptions, these volcanoes were shaped by long-lasting and evolving magma systems beneath the martian surface.
An international research team, including scientists from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, the School of Earth, Environment and Sustainability (SEES) at the University of Iowa, and the Lancaster Environment Centre, investigated a long-lived volcanic system located south of Pavonis Mons—one of Mars’ largest volcanoes. By combining detailed surface mapping with orbital mineral data, the team reconstructed the volcanic and magmatic evolution of this system in unprecedented detail.
“Our results show that even during Mars’ most recent volcanic period, magma systems beneath the surface remained active and complex,” says Bartosz Pieterek of Adam Mickiewicz University. “The volcano did not erupt just once—it evolved over time as conditions in the subsurface changed.”
The study shows that volcanic system developed through multiple eruptive phases, transitioning from early fissure-fed lava emplacement to later point-source activity that produced cone-forming vent. Although these lava flows appear different on the surface, they were supplied by the same underlying magma system. Each eruptive phase preserved a distinct mineral signature, allowing scientists to trace how the magma changed through time.
“These mineral differences tell us that the magma itself was evolving,” Pieterek explains. “This likely reflects changes in how deep the magma originated and how long it was stored beneath the surface before erupting.”
Because direct sampling of Martian volcanoes is currently not possible, studies like this provide rare insight into the structure and evolution of the planet’s interior. The findings highlight how powerful orbital observations can be in revealing the hidden complexity of volcanic systems—on Mars and on other rocky planets.
CITATION: Pieterek, B., et al., 2026, Spectral evidence for magmatic differentiation within a martian plumbing system, https://doi.org/10.1130/G53969.1 (open access)
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