牛津大学研究人员通过分析NASA洞察号火星探测器收集的地震数据，在火星表面以下约24千米处发现了大规模岩浆系统的证据1。这一神秘边界将火星地壳分为两个不同的岩石层：上层为含硅比例较高的镁铁质岩石，下层为富铁镁的超镁铁质岩石1。研究表明，这一被掩埋的岩石层可能延伸数百或数千千米，跨越火星北半球1。
研究团队观察到地壳中存在复杂的演化特征，包括熔融岩浆分异和跨地壳岩浆作用，这些过程此前被认为仅存在于地球1。牛津大学研究人员Dr. Tobermory Mackay-Champion表示，"这项发现表明火星可能维持大规模、长寿命的系统，其中熔融岩浆在整个地壳中演化和重处理"1。
该研究表明火星可能在没有板次构造的情况下形成复杂地壳，这对理解岩石行星的宜居性具有重要意义1。Professor Jon Wade指出，"如果火星能在没有板块构造的情况下发展这种复杂地壳，那么宜居条件可能比我们意识到的在更多行星上出现"1。这项研究已于2026年9月3日发表在《自然天文学》杂志上1。
Researchers from Oxford University have identified evidence of a massive magma system buried approximately 24 kilometers below Mars' surface by analyzing seismic data collected by NASA's Insight rover since 2018 1. The discovery, published in Nature Astronomy on September 3, 2026, reveals a complex crustal structure with a distinct compositional boundary separating iron-rich ultramafic rocks below from silicon-rich mafic rocks above 1.
The buried layer may extend across hundreds or thousands of kilometers throughout Mars' northern hemisphere, representing an extensive region of magmatic activity and crustal evolution 1. According to Dr. Tobermory Mackay-Champion, "this discovery suggests that Mars may have sustained large-scale, long-lived systems in which molten material evolved and was reprocessed throughout the crust" 1. The findings indicate that processes involving magma differentiation and crustal-scale magmatism can operate on Mars in the absence of plate tectonics 1.
The research has significant implications for understanding planetary habitability. Professor Jon Wade noted that "if Mars was able to develop this kind of complex crust without plate tectonics, then habitable conditions may be more widespread across planets than we realized" 1.
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