Volcanoes erupting on Mars warmed the Red Planet and eventually produced liquid water on its surface.

The Martian terrain is pockmarked with lake beds and basins along with dry river channels that serve as evidence liquid water once flowed on the surface. The role of volcanism in Martian geology leads to evidence of ancient water on the Red Planet.

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Right now, Mars' thin atmosphere is too weak to hold liquid water on the surface. Astronomers believe water flowed 3.7 billion years ago during a time when volcanoes were far more active on the planet. The sulfur dioxide from those eruptions trapped heat from the Sun.

Researchers have developed computer models to show how Martian volcanoes warmed the planet. The simulations suggest sulfur dioxide molecules attached themselves to dust particles in the atmosphere. This is also similar to the greenhouse gas effect on Earth currently raising temperatures worldwide.

Gases such as sulfur dioxide released by volcanoes caused specific conditions that warmed liquid water enabling it flow from several points, according to the geological history of Mars. The areas where this warmth emanated lasted for about 10,000 years before the planet cooled off eventually.

Some billions of years ago, however, the cooler Sun also cooled the planet. According to James Head from Brown University, new climate models are having difficulty linking today's Mars with the cold, icy world where water once flowed.

Head believes that primitive life on Mars was probably present during that time and could have been similar to algal mats seen in Antarctica. These algal mats are resistant to extreme cold and dry conditions.

This study about volcanism in Mars triggering liquid water production is detailed in the journal, Nature Geoscience.

TagsVolcano Eruptions May Explain How Water Once Existed on Mars, Mars, Water on Mars, volcano eruptions mars water, volcanic eruptions on mars