---
type: source
title: "Lava Tubes on Earth, Moon, and Mars: Detection, Evolution, and Exploration Potential — Space Science Reviews 2025"
author: "Space Science Reviews (Springer Nature)"
url: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11214-025-01260-9
date: 2025-01-01
domain: space-development
secondary_domains: []
format: article
status: processed
processed_by: astra
processed_date: 2026-05-02
priority: medium
tags: [lava-tubes, mars, moon, habitability, radiation-shielding, ISRU, survey]
intake_tier: research-task
extraction_model: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5"
---

## Content

Comprehensive review paper published in Space Science Reviews (Springer Nature, 2025). Synthesizes detection, evolution, and exploration potential of lava tubes on Earth, Moon, and Mars.

**Mars lava tube key findings (from review):**
- Tharsis and Elysium rises host lava tube candidates that could have retained ice to the present day
- Microclimate model calculations support ice persistence in these tubes
- Arsia Mons: seven putative skylight entrances, with potential cave diameters of 100-250 meters
- Cave environments provide radiation shielding, temperature moderation, and potential ice/water resources
- Multiple detection methods: HiRISE imagery, SHARAD radar, THEMIS thermal (Elysium Mons candidate confirmed 2025)

**Ice retention in Mars lava tubes:**
- The review models lava tube interiors as potential ice retention sites even at equatorial latitudes
- The mechanism: cold air sinks into cave, warms slightly, doesn't escape easily — creates a stable microclimate that prevents sublimation of ice that may have been emplaced during earlier, wetter epochs
- This is distinct from the current surface ice (polar caps) — it's a different regime of ice preservation

**Exploration potential assessment:**
- Habitat: lava tubes provide pre-built, radiation-shielded, temperature-moderated spaces
- ISRU: potential for ice extraction, regolith extraction, mineral resources (hydrated minerals near volcanic features)
- Astrobiology: cave environments may be Mars' best protected location for potential biosignatures

**Lunar comparison:**
- Lunar lava tubes are significantly larger (potentially km-scale due to lower gravity)
- Detection methods applicable to both Moon and Mars
- Fleet Space SPIDER instrument (2026 deployment) will conduct acoustic surveys of lunar lava tubes

## Agent Notes
**Why this matters:** This is the comprehensive synthesis that ties together the Mars lava tube literature. The ice retention modeling is the critical piece — it says the tubes themselves may contain ice even at equatorial latitudes, which would resolve the radiation-shielding vs. water-access trade-off entirely.
**What surprised me:** The 100-250m diameter caves at Arsia Mons — these are large enough for substantial habitat construction, not just exploratory access. A 200m diameter cave provides ~30,000 m² of floor area — larger than a football stadium.
**What I expected but didn't find:** Direct ice detection inside a Mars lava tube. The models predict ice retention; no mission has yet confirmed it with a direct observation. This is still in the "physically plausible" not "confirmed" category.
**KB connections:** May 1 session radiation finding (0.67 mSv/day surface, ~12 mSv/year in lava tubes), the settlement bootstrapping chain, Belief 1 engineering prerequisites
**Extraction hints:** Primary claim: "Thermal microclimate models predict Mars equatorial lava tubes (Tharsis, Elysium) could retain ice to the present day, potentially providing radiation shielding (>20x dose reduction) and water ISRU resources at the same location — if confirmed, this resolves the co-location challenge for permanent settlement."
**Context:** Space Science Reviews is the highest-prestige review journal in planetary science. The review synthesizes the entire lava tube literature through 2024-2025.

## Curator Notes (structured handoff for extractor)
PRIMARY CONNECTION: The May 1 session claim candidate about radiation shielding prerequisites + the lava tube solution
WHY ARCHIVED: Establishes the theoretical basis for ice retention INSIDE the tubes, which is the strongest possible version of the co-location thesis
EXTRACTION HINT: Be careful to scope as "model prediction" not "confirmed." The 100-250m diameter detail is extractable as a standalone habitat sizing claim.
