Massive Plume Rising Above the Surface of Mars Mystifies Scientists

Scientists have encountered a mystery above the surface of Mars. They've spotted strange plumes reaching high above the Red Planet's surface that they're unable to explain.

The plumes were seen rising to altitudes of over 250 kilometers above the same region of Mars on separate occasions in March and April 2012. Similar features seen in the past haven't reached 100 km. The plumes themselves developed in less than 10 hours and covered a vast area; in all, they remained visible for about 10 days and changed their structure from day to day.

"At about 250 km, the division between the atmosphere and outer space is very thing, so the reported plumes are extremely unexpected," said Agustin Sanchez-Lavega, one of the researchers, in a news release.

Unfortunately, none of the spacecraft orbiting Mars saw these features due to their positions. However, the Hubble Space Telescope and amateur images have shown the features in detail. Yet scientists are still unable to explain what caused them. However, they do have theories.

"One idea we've discussed is that the features are caused by a reflective cloud of water-ice, carbon dioxide-ice or dust particles, but this would require exceptional deviations from standard atmospheric circulation models to explain cloud formations at such high altitudes," said Agustin.

Another idea that the researchers had were that the plumes are related to an auroral emission. That said, researchers still haven't confirmed any of these theories. For now, the cause of the plumes will continue to remain a mystery.

Currently, researchers plan to use ESA's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter to reveal further insights. The spacecraft is scheduled for launch in 2016.

The findings are published in the journal Nature.

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