Seven, small deep holes on the slope of Arsia Mons, a giant Martian volcano, have recently been detected with a heat-sensitive camera aboard the NASA Odyssey orbiter. There is speculation that the holes may be openings, called skylights, forming the ceilings of underground caves. Images were taken at infrared wavelengths with the Thermal Emission Imaging System, (THEMIS), designed by Arizona State University.
The holes are dark and approximately circular, ranging from 100-250 meters in diameter. The volcano Arsia Mons was visualized at night with the THEMIS to detect any anmoulus ‘warm spots.’ Locations found to contain thermal heat were examined in daylight conditions and found to contain the holes. It has been suggested that the holes were the creation of stresses from faults that opened spaces underneath the surface.
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