Ever wonder what those dark areas on Mars are? Well according to Briony Horgan & Jim Bell of Arizona State University, these areas are made primarily of Glass.
By analyzing near infrared spectral measurements retrieved by the Mars orbiter named "Express" , these two were able to recognize absorption bands resembling the iron found in volcanic glass here on Earth. The glass is likely in the form of sand sized granules, similar to the glass fields of Iceland and the spectra suggests that these granules are coated with silica-rich 'rinds'.
Here on Earth rinds cover volcanic glass weathered by water, but how these have formed on Mars is still a mystery. Hogan says that lava from volcanoes interacting with water ice or snow may be a possible source for these rinds, and if true these areas would be prime candidates for sources of Alien life as at one time these would have held chemical rich water.
The dark glass covered regions on Mars add up to more than 10 million square kilometers or real estate located in the northern lowlands.
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