Why doesn't Mars have plate tectonics?

Mars likely had a thicker lithosphere from early in its history, which prevented its crust from breaking into the mobile plates that developed on Earth. Some researchers believe Mars may have had early plate motion that stalled as the planet cooled faster than Earth.

What is transcrustal magmatism?

Transcrustal magmatism is the process by which large magma bodies pool at different depths inside a planet's crust, evolve chemically through fractional crystallization, and leave behind a layered structure detectable by seismic waves. It was previously considered a signature unique to plate tectonic settings.

Could Mars have supported life?

This discovery has indirect implications: a Mars with long-lived, active deep magmatic systems likely also had prolonged volcanic outgassing that could have maintained a thicker atmosphere, liquid water, and hydrothermal systems on its surface — all potential habitats for microbial life. The study does not find evidence of life, but it increases the geological plausibility of an early habitable Mars.

Is InSight still operating on Mars?

InSight's mission ended in December 2022 when dust accumulation on its solar panels reduced power to unsustainable levels. The seismic data it collected during its four-year mission continues to be analyzed by researchers around the world.

火星在沒有板塊構造的情況下維持了數十億年類似地球的山火岩漿系統

火星地面下24公里深處，來自古老火星地震的地震波揭示了一個本不應該存在的局面：一個化學界面，展示巨大岩漿曾分層的地點——與地球活火山內部完全一致。火星沒有板塊構造，沒有活火山。然而，Nature Astronomy發表的新研究却在火星深處發現了橫切地殿岩漿活動的精確化學指紋。

火星地震如何描繪隱藏的層結構

NASA的InSight於2018年降落在小路坅平原，摊帶有曾部署在其他行星最精密的地震儀。近四年記錄了超1,300次火星地震。布里斯托大學Tobermory Mackay-Champion博士與津津山大學的同事將熱力學模型應用於地震資料，在地下24公里充了岩和較輕鏁鹁岩之間發現明確界面。

火星在沒有板塊構造的情況下實現了什麼

「我們一直假設火星的火山活動比較簡單」，津津山大學Jon Wade教授說。「但這個發現表明火星能夠維持大型、長期存在的系統，其中燕蝎岩岩漿在整個地殼中演變並重新處理。」

常見問題

火星為什麼沒有板塊構造？

火星可能很早就形成了較厚的岩石圈，阻止了地殼分裂成可移動板塊。

橫切地殼岩漿活動是什麼？

大型岩漿岩漿源在行星地殼不同深度積聚，化學演變，並留下地震波可探測的層狀結構。

火星能孕育生命嗎？

深層岩漿系統意味著更濃密的大氣、液態水和熱水系統，這些都是微生物的潜在棲息地。

InSight還在運行嗎？

2022年12月火星塵塵覆蓋太陽能板後任務結束。

下一步

「如果火星能維持這種地質複雜性，那麼宜居性所需的條件也許可以在比我們想象的更多行星上出現」，Wade教授說。

參考文獻：Mackay-Champion, T.R. et al., “Seismic evidence for a melt-depleted lower crust and transcrustal magmatism on Mars”, Nature Astronomy, 2026. DOI: 10.1038/s41550-026-02907-5

標籤: science-en1, InSight, 板塊構造論, 橫切地殼岩漿活動, 火星, 火星地震