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''Sisyphi Montes'' is a 
Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature
Mountain ranges on Mars {{mars-stub
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...
within the Sisyphi Planum on the planet Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...
. The mountain range various degrees of degradation. It has a diameter of . The name ''Sisyphi Montes'' is a classical albedo name. This was approved by International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreac ...
in 1985. The classical name comes from the myth of Sisyphus, in Greek mythology. Sisyphus, the king of Corinth, was punished in Hades by having to roll a huge stone up a hill only to have it roll down again as soon as he had brought it to the top. He had to do this over and over again. There are a number of mountains in this range, hence the plural form of Sisyphus is used for this group of mountains.
Sisyphi Montes are located in the Mare Australe quadrangle, between Argyre and Hellas impact basins.
Ice Sheet
Some researchers have suggested that a large ice sheet covered much of the Mare Australe quadrangle. Sisyphi Montes consists of about 100 dome-like structures that resemble volcanoes that have erupted under ice sheets on the Earth. Similar shapes are present inIceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
. These domes are
quite far from the present ice sheet (1,600 kilometers). The current cap is only about 350 kilometres across, so the ice cap in the past would have been way bigger and held much more water. Measurements with the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars CRISM
The Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) is a visible-infrared spectrometer aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter searching for mineralogic indications of past and present water on Mars. The CRISM instrument team compris ...
detected minerals that are formed when a volcano erupts under an ice sheet. Some of the minerals found are clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4).
Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
s, sulfates
The sulfate or sulphate ion is a polyatomic
A polyatomic ion, also known as a molecular ion, is a covalent bonded set of two or more atoms, or of a metal complex, that can be considered to behave as a single unit and that has a net charge t ...
, Iron oxides, and zeolites
Zeolites are microporous, crystalline aluminosilicate materials commonly used as commercial adsorbents and catalysts. They mainly consist of silicon, aluminium, oxygen, and have the general formula ･y where is either a metal ion or H+. These pos ...
. This combination is often called palagonite
Palagonite is an alteration product from the interaction of water with volcanic glass of chemical composition similar to basalt. Palagonite can also result from the interaction between water and basalt melt. The water flashes to steam on contact w ...
.
When volcanoes erupt under an ice sheet large masses of warm water are created. Masses of warm water under Martian ice could provide suitable places for life to exist. Such environments are also good for preserving fossils.Cousins, C. and I. Crawford. 2011. Volcano-ice interaction as a microbial Habitat on Earth and Mars. Astrobiology: 11, 695-710.
See also
*List of mountains on Mars
This is a list of all named mountains on Mars.
Most mountains have a name including one of the following elements:
* ''Mons'': a large, isolated, mountain.
* ''Montes'', plural of ''mons'': a mountain range.
* ''Tholus'': a small dome-shaped mount ...
References
External links
Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature
Mountain ranges on Mars {{mars-stub