Mars’s Hidden Thermal Divide | Science News

Science News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Aug 26, 2026 · 2m

Mars’s northern plains and southern highlands aren’t just surface quirks—they’re clues to a planet-wide thermal mystery. New research reveals the southern mantle is significantly hotter, making it more pliable, and this internal difference aligns perfectly with the visible crustal split. Driven by tidal flexing as Mars orbits the sun, scientists used orbital data to map these deep-seated variations, suggesting an ancient impact may have carved the north while leaving a heat-trapping southern crust. This thermal divide could hold the key to understanding Mars’s habitability—and where to search…