Tag Archives: brines

Soluble salts in Mars meteorite came from martian brines similar to terrestrial seawater

Posted on July 9, 2019 by rburnham

[Editor’s note: From a paper by Elizabeth Jaramillo and four co-authors recently published in Geophysical Research Letters.] Indigenous Organic‐Oxidized Fluid Interactions in the Tissint Mars Meteorite • Results support hypothesis that indigenous fluids incorporated into Tissint fissures on Mars and … Continue reading →

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Naturally occurring ‘batteries’ fueled organic carbon synthesis on Mars

Posted on November 1, 2018 by rburnham

Mars’ organic carbon may have originated from a series of electrochemical reactions between briny liquids and volcanic minerals, according to new analyses of three Martian meteorites from a team led by Carnegie’s Andrew Steele published in Science Advances. The group’s … Continue reading →

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Are iron sulfates hydrating the Martian soil?

Posted on July 26, 2016 by rburnham

Water is the key to life on Earth. Scientists continue to unravel the mystery of life on Mars by investigating evidence of water in the planet’s soil. Previous observations of soil observed along crater slopes on Mars showed a significant … Continue reading →

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Salty flows on Mars

Posted on January 1, 2016 by rburnham

Planetary Geomorphology Image of the Month, December 31, 2015: Lujendra Ojha (Georgia Institute of Technology). Recurring slope lineae (RSL) are dark, narrow features forming on present-day Mars that have been suggested to be a result of transient flowing water. RSL … Continue reading →

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Brines form at night when perchlorate absorbs water vapor from atmosphere

Posted on April 13, 2015 by rburnham

Researchers have long known that there was water in the form of ice on Mars. Now, new research from NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity shows that it is possible that there is liquid water close to the surface of Mars. The … Continue reading →

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HiRISE: Recurring slope lineae in Juventae Chasma

Posted on December 11, 2014 by rburnham

Recurring slope lineae (RSL) are best explained as due to seasonal seeping of water on steep slopes in warm seasons. The HiRISE team has produced digital terrain models (DTMs) for many key RSL sites, which then allows us to orthorectify … Continue reading →

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Recurring slope lineae discovered deep in Valles Marineris

Posted on December 12, 2013 by rburnham

Discovered in 2011, recurring slope lineae (RSL for short) are narrow, dark lines on steep slopes. They appear and grow longer during the warmest time of year, then fade and disappear over winter. They recur in the same places the … Continue reading →

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What Earth’s saltiest pond says about Mars

Posted on February 21, 2013 by rburnham

An Antarctic pond that’s the saltiest natural body of water on Earth stays wet in part by pulling moisture out of the air, scientists have discovered. And that has implications for possible brine seeps and reservoirs on Mars. Don Juan … Continue reading →

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