Tag Archives: water

Mars: not as dry as it seems

When searching for life, scientists first look for an element key to sustaining it: fresh water. Although today’s Martian surface is barren, frozen and inhabitable, a trail of evidence points to a once warmer, wetter planet, where water flowed freely. … Continue reading

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Clays quickly cooked in early Mars steambath

New research suggests that the bulk of clay minerals on Mars could have been formed as the planet’s crust cooled and solidified, not by later interactions with water on the surface as has long been assumed. (…) There are thousands … Continue reading

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Shock tests on synthetic Mars-meteorite mineral suggest a more water-rich history

Mars may have been a wetter place than previously thought, according to research on simulated Martian meteorites conducted, in part, at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). In a study published [March 6, 2017] in the … Continue reading

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Curiosity findings from Yellowknife Bay sharpen CO2 paradox of ancient Mars climate

Mars scientists are wrestling with a problem. Ample evidence says ancient Mars was sometimes wet, with water flowing and pooling on the planet’s surface. Yet, the ancient sun was about one-third less warm and climate modelers struggle to produce scenarios … Continue reading

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MAVEN: High-altitude water gives atmospheric escape route for Mars hydrogen

Researchers at the University of Colorado’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics have discovered an atmospheric escape route for hydrogen on Mars, a mechanism that may have played a significant role in the planet’s loss of liquid water. The findings … Continue reading

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SHARAD finds ice deposit in Utopia Planitia with as much water as Lake Superior

Frozen beneath a region of cracked and pitted plains on Mars lies about as much water as what’s in Lake Superior, largest of the Great Lakes, researchers using NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have determined. Scientists examined part of Mars’ Utopia … Continue reading

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Water, water, everywhere…?

Planetary Geomorphology Image of the Month, September 1, 2016: Susan J. Conway (CNRS and LPG Nantes, France). The similarity of water-formed landforms on Earth is often used as a key argument for the involvement of liquid water in shaping the surfaces … Continue reading

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How does boiling water reshape Mars terrain?

At present, liquid water on Mars only exists in small quantities as a boiling liquid, and only during the warmest time of day in summer. Its role has therefore been considered insignificant until now. However, an international team including scientists … Continue reading

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HRSC: Arda Valles

The Arda Valles region of Mars, comprising the network of drainage valleys seen in the left-hand portion of the image. The region lies on the western rim of an ancient large impact basin, which can be seen in the right-hand … Continue reading

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THEMIS: Mangala Valles

THEMIS Image of the Day, September 25, 2015. This VIS image shows part of the complex channel called Mengala Valles. The tear-drop shaped regions in the channel are called streamlined islands and the narrow “tail” points down stream. More THEMIS … Continue reading

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