Mars domes may be 'mud volcanoes'

Scientists say the possible discovery of mud volcanoes on Mars could boost the search for the planet's past life.

If life on Mars ever existed, that would be so cool. The evidence could be buried deep below the surface, where it may be warm enough for water to remain in a liquid state.

Mud volcanoes can transport rocks from depths of several kilometers up to the surface, where robotic explorers could reach them.

here is a photo of the mud volcano.

These details were presented by the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Texas.
Using the images taken by NASA’s Mars Odyssey spacecraft, Carlton Allen and Dorothy Oehler of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston identified dozens of mounds in the northern plains of Mars which they say bear a striking resemblance to mud volcanoes.

Infrared data also show that the domes cool more quickly at night than the surrounding rock, as one might expect if they were made of sediment.

Together with David Baker from Brown University, the researchers used instruments like the NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) to observe some of these structures in a northern region known as Acidalia Planitia.
Data from the MRO's Chrism experiment indicate that the material in the domes is more oxidized than the rock of the surrounding plains. This might suggest the presence of iron oxides, which form in the presence of liquid water.

Fast facts!
What is oxidize?
Oxidize is combining or causing to combine with oxygen.

They also took pictures of the structures with the Hi Rise camera on MRO; the images show the bright domes standing out against the dark basaltic rock of the surrounding plains.
Dr Allen told BBC News the structures resembled smooth cones with "no breaks", which visibly feathered out towards the margins. The observations, he said, were consistent with material that is "smooth, soft and easily eroded".

I hope if that life exists on Mars. I hope that they will not invade earth.