text: Last but not least, it could be a rise in lava or underground material. Mars has the same inner layers as earth so don't you think it could be techtonic plate activity. An earthquake could cause an uprise in crust and rock. In paragraph 12 Jim Garvin, chief scientist for NASA's Mars Exploration Program, said that it reminded him of Middle Butte in the Snake River Plain of Idaho. It could be a lava dome on Mars; however goes back to techtonic plate activity.