'Yellowstone Park' found on Mars

A "Yellowstone Park" on Mars has been discovered where hot springs and geysers may once have burst out of the planet's interior.

The site is an ideal place to search for evidence of present or past life, scientists at the American space agency Nasa believe.

One of Nasa's two Mars Exploration Rovers accidentally stumbled on the find after a wheel jammed.

The Spirit rover was exploring the edge of "Home Plate", a rocky outcrop inside the 100-mile-wide Gusev Crater just south of the Martian equator.

When its right front wheel became stuck it gouged a trench in the ground, exposing bright white soil.

A chemical analyser on the rover showed that the white material was 90% silica. Usually the only way such a rich source of silica can occur is through hot water reacting with rocks.

Spirit went on to find similar silica deposits in many other places nearby.

It was already known that Home Plate was a volcanic feature, caused by an eruption in the past involving water or ice.

Taken together, the evidence pointed to a "Yellowstone-like" hydrothermal system of the type which produced hot springs, geysers, and steam vents in the famous Wyoming national park.

Experts now believe the Home Plate site might be a hot spot for the search for life.

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