Tag Archives: liquid water

Did bursts of methane warm early Mars?

Posted on January 25, 2017 by rburnham

The presence of water on ancient Mars is a paradox. There’s plenty of geographical evidence that rivers periodically flowed across the planet’s surface. Yet in the time period when these waters are supposed to have run — three to four … Continue reading →

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Mars gullies not carved by flowing water?

Posted on July 29, 2016 by rburnham

New findings using data from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter show that gullies on modern Mars are likely not being formed by flowing liquid water. This new evidence will allow researchers to further narrow theories about how Martian gullies form, and … Continue reading →

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Early Mars warmth, flowing water: episodic only

Posted on November 19, 2014 by rburnham

How to reconcile indisputable evidence of flowing water on Mars with severely low temperatures? New research shows volcanism and greenhouse gas could have warmed the planet sufficiently, but only for tens or hundreds of years at a time. Ample evidence … Continue reading →

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Liquid water and water Ice on Gale Crater, Mars

Posted on September 24, 2014 by rburnham

Planetary Geomorphology Image of the Month, September 2014: Alberto G. Fairén, (Cornell University and Centro de Astrobiología, Spain). Gale Crater, the site of the currently active Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) or Curiosity Rover mission, is a ~154-km-diameter impact crater formed … Continue reading →

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Mars salts must touch ice to make liquid water

Posted on July 2, 2014 by rburnham

In chambers that mimic Mars’ conditions, researchers have shown how small amounts of liquid water could form on the planet despite its below-freezing temperatures. Mars is one of the very few places in the solar system where scientists have seen … Continue reading →

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Gale Crater’s icy hydrological cycle

Posted on June 25, 2014 by rburnham

Gale Crater was once home to glaciers and other features of an icy hydrological system, says a team of scientists led by Alberto Fairén (Centro de Astrobiología in Spain and Cornell University). They base their work on images captured with the … Continue reading →

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Mars ‘terraforming’ test among NAIC proposals

Posted on June 6, 2014 by rburnham

NASA has selected a dozen proposals for study under Phase I of the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program. Among the selected proposals is the Mars Ecopoiesis Test Bed by Eugene Boland (Techshot Inc.). (“Ecopoiesis” is the creation of an … Continue reading →

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Flowing water on Mars 200,000 years ago?

Posted on April 25, 2014 by rburnham

New research has shown that there was liquid water on Mars as recently as 200,000 years ago. The results have been published in the prestigious international scientific journal Icarus. “We have discovered a very young crater in the southern mid-latitudes … 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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Valley networks were eroded quckly

Posted on November 22, 2011 by rburnham

Networks of valleys cross much of the ancient surface of Mars, and along with deltas and other features these all show that the environment once warm and wet enough to sustain liquid water at the surface. But when? And for … Continue reading →

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