‘Martian Dog’ and Dozens of Other Mysterious Spots Hidden Under Mars’ North Pole Found in New ‘Gravity Map’

Dozens of mysteriously dense patches — including one surprisingly dog-shaped structure — lurk beneath the ancient seabed surrounding MarsNorth Pole, reveals new ‘gravity map’ of Red Planet. The first-of-its-kind atlas also confirms a recent discovery of Mars’ highest mountain, which could help reveal secrets about the planet’s volcanic past and present.

In a new study, scientists have created the first true global density map of Mars by combining data on the planet’s crust from NASA’s InSight lander with records of orbital fluctuations from satellites such as NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the European Space Agency’s Mars Express, which shifted positions due to hidden gravity anomalies.

The most prominent features on the new map were 20 subterranean spots in the Borealis Basin in Mars’ northern hemisphere, which was an ancient seabed more than 3 billion years ago. The spots come in a variety of shapes and sizes, including one that “resembles the shape of a dog,” and have densities 300 to 400 kilograms per cubic meter higher than the surrounding soil, the researchers wrote in statement.

At present, however, it is not clear what these spots are, why they are so dense and how they were formed.

“These dense structures may be of volcanic origin or may be compacted material from past (meteorites) impacts,” says the study’s lead author. Bart’s Rootplanetary scientist at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, said in a statement. And “there seems to be no trace of them on the surface,” he added.

Team presented their findings at the Europlanet Science Congress, which took place in Berlin on September 8–13.

Related: 15 Objects on Mars That Are Not What They Seem

These extremely dense spots can take on a variety of shapes and sizes that scientists cannot yet explain. (Photo source: Root et al.)

The new map also confirmed the presence a giant spot 1,100 miles (1,750 kilometers) wide beneath Olympus Monsa dormant volcano near the equator of Mars, which is located more than 25 km above the planet’s surface and is the most magnificent volcano in the solar system the highest mountain.

This gigantic stain that was first detected in 2022is less dense than its surroundings and is most likely a massive plume of cooled lava, suggesting that volcanism on Mars may have ended recently or may be in progress.

The new map of the Olympus Mons spot may also shed light on the surrounding Tharsis plateau, a raised region of Mars that is home to the highest volcanoes on the planetand other intriguing geological structures such as the “Labyrinth of Night” canyon was recently mapped.

The newly mapped spots are not the only interesting features recently discovered beneath the Red Planet’s surface.

In January, NASA satellites revealed a layer of ice 2 miles (3.2 km) thick buried under the equator of MarsIn August, scientists announced important discovery of a vast hidden ocean — with enough water to cover the entire planet in a layer 1.6 km thick — trapped deep beneath the Red Planet’s surface.

The study’s authors are among a group of scientists proposing a mission to Mars, known as Mars Quantum Gravity (MaQuls)which will fly twin spacecraft around the Red Planet, allowing researchers to more accurately measure hidden gravity anomalies. The MaQuls mission was also recently discussed at the Europlanet Science Congress, but was not approved by any agency.