Title: Mars’ Fascinating Discoveries in 2024: From Hidden Oceans to Martian ‘Spiders’
In 2024, Mars once again captivated the world with astonishing discoveries that shed light on the planet’s past and fuel our dreams of humanity’s future among the stars. Despite setbacks like the Ingenuity helicopter’s demise and Curiosity rover’s wheel mishap, the year continued to deliver groundbreaking finds, including insights into Mars’ magnetic field and potential signs of life.
In no particular order, here are 10 incredible things discovered on Mars in 2024:
1. Massive hidden ocean
The most significant discovery of the year was the reveal of a vast reservoir containing enough water to cover Mars with an ocean up to 1.6 kilometers deep. This **huge hidden ocean** lies beneath the planet’s surface, as uncovered by NASA’s InSight lander through the study of ‘Marsquakes’ over more than four years.
Despite not being accessible through current drilling methods on Earth, these deposits could be crucial for future human explorers, and they might also harbor **signs of extraterrestrial life**.
2. ‘Martian spiders’ swarm the ‘Inca City’
The so-called ‘Martian spiders’ are thin, crack-like formations on the Martian surface that appear during Martian spring when dry ice sublimates, carrying particles from below and depositing them in odd shapes. While known for decades, these arachnid-like structures gained newfound attention after images taken by the European Space Agency’s Mars Express and ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter revealed hundreds of them in a mysterious region named the ‘Inca City’ near Mars’ south pole.
In September, scientists also successfully replicated these Martian spiders on Earth, allowing further study of these peculiar structures.
3. Martian ‘dog’ and mysterious blobs
In a surprising discovery under Mars’ north polar ice cap, dozens of mysterious blobs, including a mass resembling a dog, were found hiding in plain sight—thanks to a new **gravity map**. This map, created by combining data from the InSight lander and Mars Express orbiter, exposes 20 high-density structures, but their origins and compositions remain uncertain.
The same study also confirmed the existence of a colossal, 1,750-kilometer-long lava column under Mars’ surface, hidden beneath its tallest peak, Olympus Mons.
4. Massive volcano hidden in plain sight
In a shock discovery, scientists announced in March the **finding of a gigantic volcano** that had gone unnoticed until now, spanning over 450 kilometers (280 miles) across. This long-extinct volcano, not yet named, lies in the Tharsis region and is now mostly eroded away, with only remnants of its once-massive slopes remaining.
Researchers suggest that this location could be an excellent spot for astrobiology studies due to the presence of buried ice deposits.
5. A salty smile
In a curious appearance, a face-like formation, reminiscent of a smiling emoticon, emerged from Mars’ surface in a false-color infrared image taken by the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. This **’smiley face’** is believed to be composed of ancient salt deposits, making it a potential haven for potential life forms.
The image is part of an extensive survey studying nearly 1,000 similar deposits across Mars.
6. Frosty peaks loaded with water
At first glance, Mars’ volcanoes appear bone-dry. However, scientists discovered in June that the planet’s tallest peaks, including Olympus Mons, are periodically blanketed with a thick coating of frozen water—**up to 150,000 tons (136,077 kilograms) of water ice** in total.
This icy layer forms and melts each Martian day, but researchers believe it can persist in the long run due to the planet’s favorable temperatures and low solar radiation.
7. Weird rocks
Throughout the year, Mars’ rovers found several peculiar rocks on the Martian surface.
- In January, the Curiosity rover snapped a photo of a rock that resembled the Starfleet insignia from ‘Star Trek’.
- In June, the Perseverance rover discovered a uniquely light-colored rock that could provide fresh insights into Mars’ past.
- In September, Perseverance also encountered a mysterious ‘zebra rock’ with distinctive black and white stripes, whose origins remain unclear.
8. Cryptic terrain and dark dust
In April, the European Space Agency’s Mars orbiter captured **mysterious dark features** surrounding Mars’ icy south pole. Nicknamed ‘cryptic terrain’, these odd, dark patches are believed to be related to Martian carbon dioxide ice’s freeze-and-thaw cycle, similar to the process that creates ‘spiders’ and ‘lizards’ on Mars.
9. Green spots
Thanks to the perseverance rover, tiny green specks have been spotted on Mars’ surface for the first time. These **green flecks**, measuring about 0.08 inches (2 millimeters) across, could be the result of iron oxide, similar to rust on Earth. Alternatively, they may hint at the presence of **Martian microbes**.
10. Buried ice chunks
In addition to the vast ocean and icy volcanoes, scientists also found enormous chunks of frozen water buried two miles (3.7 kilometers) deep beneath the Martian equator—**including one layer nearly 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) thick**. These massive, hidden ice deposits were discovered by ESA’s Mars Express orbiter, using radar imaging.
This discovery suggests that future human explorers might consider building their Mars base near the equator, where such resources are abundant.
Stay tuned for more incredible discoveries from the Red Planet, as humanity’s quest to understand and settle Mars continues!
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