In this region, scientists exploring Mars came across promising pits that were mistaken for entrances to lava tubes up to several tens of meters in diameter. However, more recent images have shown that not everything is so clear-cut. In particular, due to the special angle of light incidence, the walls of these pits are visible in the images, which may indicate the absence of a cave, and the hole may turn out to be only a rock failure of approximately cylindrical shape. This, of course, excludes the possibility of considering it as a potential shelter for people.
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Skeptics cite similar sinkholes in Hawaii, which are also of volcanic origin. They do not connect to long caves or lava tubes. They are the result of rock failure at greater depths. There, such pits can be up to 190 meters deep, and their diameter can range from 8 to 1,140 meters. The depth of the pit in question in the area of Mount Arsia is estimated to be about 178 meters.
Note that there are similar pictures of pits and on the Moon. But they are more detailed and suggest that there we are talking about entrances to lava tubes, where you can maintain a relatively comfortable temperature and shelter from radiation and micrometeorites.
Researchers note that there is no reason to believe that on Mars lava tubes and suitable caves do not exist. If they are on the Earth and the Moon, there should be on the Red Planet. However, it is worthwhile to thoroughly investigate the most promising pits beforehand in order to draw accurate conclusions about how suitable they are for shelter in the future.
