Thermal Anomaly Discovered Below Mars's South Pole

Researchers have discovered a thermal asymmetry deep beneath the surface throughout Mars’s southern hemisphere. Based on gravitational measurements that give clues to the Red Planet’s interior structure, Mars’s interior southern hemisphere is around 200 to 400 degrees Celsius warmer than the northern half of the planet and partially molten. The surprising finding adds additional context to Martian history and the periods of time in which it may have hosted conditions favorable for life.