A bizarrely shaped Mars depression was most likely formed by a volcano underneath a glacier, and it could have been a warm, chemical-rich environment. The formation could have sheltered microbial life, according to a new study conducted at the University of Texas at Austin.

The research, published in the November issue of the International Journal of Solar System Studies, Icarus, is a place that could have been a good environment to sustain micro organic life, having the main components that support habitability.

Glacial Deposits Suggest Habitability

The location of the Mars depression is inside a crater, and it is surrounded by ancient glacial deposits. The first time the scientific focus fell on this formation was back in 2009, when Joseph Levy, lead author of the current study, observed features looking like cracks on pictures of the depression that were provided as part of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's mission.

The formations looked similar to the Earth formations known under the name of ice cauldrons that can be found on the surface of Greenland or Iceland. The Earth's formations are the result of the activities of volcanoes that had erupted under an ice sheet.

Additionally, there was another Mars formation resembling the one that was subjected to research. The landforms stood out due to their bizarre appearance, and the researchers immediately made the connections with their Earth equivalents which can be found on the Greenland's and Iceland's volcano surfaces.

Detailed 3-D Activity Simulations - Possible Life On Mars

However, it was only in 2016 that the team that published the study managed to observe the depressions in more detail; they conducted the research with stereoscopic images, which helped them better understand the underground activity of the volcanoes that could have melted any quantity of surface ice. Another hypothesis around the formation involves the impact of an asteroid, which would also be a feasible possibility.

As part of the research, pairs of high-resolution images were utilized in order to simulate the land's activity, employing digital elevation models which allowed a better understanding of the phenomenon and a more thorough analysis, due to their 3-D forms.

The study formulated two possible formation theories of the depressions, highlighting that the two structures had, most likely, developed in distinct ways. One of the depressions, the Galaxias Fossae, was most likely formed as a result of an impact (although the research does not exclude the possibility of a volcanic origin), while the second one, the Hellas depressions, was most likely formed due to volcanic activity.  

The scientists agree on the fact that these findings would be good premises for conducting future research that would further investigate the genesis of these land formations.