logo
Study casts doubt on water flows as cause of streaks on Martian slopes

Study casts doubt on water flows as cause of streaks on Martian slopes

India Today20-05-2025
Images taken of Mars from orbit dating back as far as the 1970s have captured curious dark streaks running down the sides of cliffs and crater walls that some scientists have construed as possible evidence of flows of liquid water, suggesting that the planet harbors environments suitable for living organisms.A new study casts doubt on that interpretation. Examining about 500,000 of these sinewy features spotted in satellite images, the researchers concluded they were created probably through dry processes that left the superficial appearance of liquid flows, underscoring the view of Mars as a desert planet currently inhospitable to life - at least on its surface.advertisementThe data indicated that formation of these streaks is driven by the accumulation of fine-grain dust from the Martian atmosphere on sloped terrain that is then knocked down the slopes by triggers such as wind gusts, meteorite impacts and marsquakes."The tiny dust particles can create flow-like patterns without liquid. This phenomenon occurs because extremely fine dust can behave similarly to a liquid when disturbed - flowing, branching and creating finger-like patterns as it moves downslope," said Adomas Valantinas, a postdoctoral researcher in planetary sciences at Brown University and co-leader of the study published on Monday in the journal Nature Communications."It's similar to how dry sand can flow like water when poured. But on Mars, the ultra-fine particles and low gravity enhance these fluid-like properties, creating features that might be mistaken for water flows when they're actually just dry material in motion," Valantinas added.advertisementThe study examined about 87,000 satellite images - including those obtained between 2006 and 2020 by a camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter - of slope streaks, which form suddenly and fade over a period of years. They average roughly 1,970-2,540 feet (600-775 meters) long, sometimes branching out and going around obstacles.The slope streaks were concentrated mostly in the northern hemisphere, particularly in three major clusters: at the plains of Elysium Planitia, the highlands of Arabia Terra and the vast Tharsis volcanic plateau including the Olympus Mons volcano, towering about three times higher than Mount Everest.The researchers said limitations in the resolution of the satellite images mean they account for only a fraction of slope streaks. They estimated the actual number at up to two million.Water is considered an essential ingredient for life. Mars billions of years ago was wetter and warmer than it is today. The question remains whether Mars has any liquid water on its surface when temperatures seasonally can edge above the freezing point.It remains possible that small amounts of water - perhaps sourced from buried ice, subsurface aquifers or abnormally humid air - could mix with enough salt in the ground to create a flow even on the frigid Martian surface. That raises the possibility that the slope streaks, if caused by wet conditions, could be habitable niches.advertisement"Generally, it is very difficult for liquid water to exist on the Martian surface, due to the low temperature and the low atmospheric pressure. But brines - very salty water - might potentially be able to exist for short periods of time," said planetary geomorphologist and study co-leader Valentin Bickel of the University of Bern in Switzerland.Given the massive volume of images, the researchers employed an advanced machine-learning method, looking for correlations involving temperature patterns, atmospheric dust deposition, meteorite impacts, the nature of the terrain and other factors. The geostatistical analysis found that slope streaks often appear in the dustiest regions and correlate with wind patterns, while some form near the sites of fresh impacts and quakes.The researchers also studied shorter-lived features called recurring slope lineae, or RSL, seen primarily in the Martian southern highlands. These grow in the summer and fade the following winter. The data suggested that these also were associated with dry processes such as dust devils - whirlwinds of dust - and rockfalls.The analysis found that both types of features were not typically associated with factors indicative of a liquid or frost origin such as high surface temperature fluctuations, high humidity or specific slope orientations."It all comes back to habitability and the search for life," Bickel said. "If slope streaks and RSL would really be driven by liquid water or brines, they could create a niche for life. However, if they are not tied to wet processes, this allows us to focus our attention on other, more promising locations."Must Watch
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

6 need-to-know things about our home planet Earth
6 need-to-know things about our home planet Earth

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

6 need-to-know things about our home planet Earth

We often look up at the sky with curiosity– at the Moon, the stars, or the Sun– but the most extraordinary world is the one beneath our feet. Earth is not the largest planet in the solar system, nor the most dazzling, yet it is the only place known to host life. From its layered structure deep within to the protective blanket of its atmosphere, our home planet has several features that set it apart. Here are six key things that define Earth. Note: This article is based on publicly available information from NASA. A name rooted in everyday language Every other planet in our solar system carries a name from ancient mythology, but Earth stands apart. Its name comes from old English and Germanic words meaning 'ground' or 'soil.' It reflects the very surface we live on, rather than a deity or legend. Earth's place in the solar system Among the four rocky planets near the Sun, Earth is the largest. With a diameter of about 12,760 kilometres, it is the fifth biggest planet overall. Its orbit places it around 150 million kilometres from the Sun– a distance that keeps temperatures moderate and allows liquid water to exist. How the planet was formed Earth came into being around 4.5 billion years ago, shaped by gravity pulling together clouds of dust and gas. Over time, this formed a solid planet with a hot metallic core at the centre, a mantle of rock in constant motion, and a stable outer crust where land and oceans developed. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Your Finger Shape Says a Lot About Your Personality, Read Now Tips and Tricks Undo An atmosphere that sustains life Our atmosphere is mostly nitrogen and oxygen, with smaller amounts of other gases. More than just breathable air, it plays multiple roles: regulating climate, shielding us from harmful radiation, and burning up most space debris before it can reach the surface. Without this protective layer, Earth would look very different. What lies beneath the surface The inside of Earth is made up of four distinct layers. At the centre lies a solid inner core, surrounded by a molten outer core that helps generate the magnetic field. Above this sits the mantle, a thick zone of slowly shifting rock, and finally the crust– the thin outer shell that supports oceans and continents alike. A Moon that brings balance Unlike many planets with multiple moons, Earth has just one– but it plays a crucial role. The Moon helps stabilise Earth's wobble, which in turn keeps long-term climate patterns relatively steady. It also affects tides and has been a constant presence since its formation billions of years ago.

This planet, closest to Earth, is shrinking, has contracted by up to 11 kilometers due to...new study reveals shocking details...
This planet, closest to Earth, is shrinking, has contracted by up to 11 kilometers due to...new study reveals shocking details...

India.com

timean hour ago

  • India.com

This planet, closest to Earth, is shrinking, has contracted by up to 11 kilometers due to...new study reveals shocking details...

Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system. According to NASA's official website, Mercury is the fastest planet, zipping around the Sun every 88 Earth days. As the closest planet to the Sun, it has now revealed yet another mystery. Recent research has found that Mercury is slowly shrinking. Which planet is shrinking and why is it so surprising? According to research published in AGU Advances, Mercury has contracted by 2.7 to 5.6 kilometers in radius over its lifetime, which was compared to previous estimates of between 1 and 7 kilometers. How much has Mercury's radius decreased so far? Mercury's interior, especially its core, is composed primarily of iron. Billions of years ago, the core of this planet began to cool down gradually. The cooling and contraction of the core exerts pressure on Mercury's outer layer, the crust, causing the surface to shift, creating large cracks in many places. In many places, cliffs—called 'scarps'—form. The surface features of Mercury indicate that Mercury is changing from within. Scientists studied the fault system of Mercury, assessing the amount of contraction the planet has gone through. Previous methods based on the length and height of surface features estimated contraction and yielded varying or inconsistent results. How did scientists measure Mercury's contraction more accurately this time? In order to solve this problem, researchers Stephan R. Loveless and Christian Klimczak established a different method of study. Instead of measuring every fault via traditional means, they measured how much the largest fault in each dataset contributed to contraction of Mercury, and then extrapolated those findings over the entire planet. They applied this technique on three different datasets: one with approximately 6,000 faults, another with 653 and a smaller one with 100. Every three indicated the same answer: 2 to 3.5 kilometers of fault-caused shrinkage. When combining this with shrinkage caused by more cooling-driven processes, Mercury has shrunk a total of 5.6 kilometers. Mercury is shrinking because the interior of the planet has been cooling since the planet formed some 4.5 billion years ago. In essence, as a planet cools off, it shrinks in volume like metal does when it cools when losing heat. Mercury has a very large iron core, which is highly unusual for a planet of its size, and make up a large part of its volume. So, Mercury cools at a much quicker rate than large rocky planets like the Earth do. As Mercury's core and mantle shrink, the planet's crust must also respond to reduce in volume underneath it. Story Highlights Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, is shrinking. Mercury is shrinking because the interior of the planet has been cooling since the planet formed 4.5 billion years ago. In general, this process has lowered the radius of Mercury by around 2.7 to 5.6 kilometers, meaning the diameter of the planet has shrunk by about 11 kilometers since it was formed

NASA Launches AI Model To Understand Solar Eruptions, Predict Space Weather
NASA Launches AI Model To Understand Solar Eruptions, Predict Space Weather

NDTV

time7 hours ago

  • NDTV

NASA Launches AI Model To Understand Solar Eruptions, Predict Space Weather

NASA is raising the bar in solar science with the debut of the Surya Heliophysics Foundational Model, an artificial intelligence system built to decode the Sun's complex behavior. Trained on nine years of continuous observations from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), Surya is designed to analyse vast amounts of solar data, helping scientists better understand solar eruptions and predict space weather that threatens satellites, power grids, and communication systems. Developed with IBM and other partners, Surya processes vast streams of solar data to provide insights that were once out of reach. The model already shows promise in one of heliophysics' toughest challenges: predicting solar flares. In collaboration with @NASA, we've open-sourced Surya on @huggingface — a new foundation model designed to help researchers protect infrastructure through accessible, accurate modeling of space weather. It's going to totally change how we forecast solar storms. See how.🧵 — IBM (@IBM) August 20, 2025 Early tests demonstrate that Surya can generate visual forecasts up to two hours in advance, outperforming current methods by 16%. NASA is making Surya openly available, the model on HuggingFace and the code on GitHub, to encourage scientists, educators, and innovators worldwide to build on its capabilities. The foundation of Surya's success lies in the unique dataset from SDO. Since its launch in 2010, the spacecraft has provided an unbroken, high-resolution record of the Sun, capturing images every 12 seconds across multiple wavelengths along with detailed magnetic field measurements. This 15-year archive, spanning an entire solar cycle, gives Surya the depth and consistency needed to detect subtle patterns in solar activity that shorter datasets would miss. NASA officials see Surya as a major step forward. "We are advancing data-driven science by embedding NASA's deep scientific expertise into cutting-edge AI models," said Kevin Murphy, chief science data officer at NASA Headquarters. "This model empowers broader understanding of how solar activity impacts critical systems and technologies that we all rely on here on Earth." Surya's development was supported by the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot, a National Science Foundation initiative with industry partners such as NVIDIA, providing the computing power needed for advanced AI research. As Joseph Westlake, director of NASA's Heliophysics Division, noted: "Just as we use meteorology to forecast Earth's weather, space weather forecasts predict the conditions and events in the space environment that can affect Earth and our technologies. Applying AI to data from our heliophysics missions is a vital step in increasing our space weather defense to protect astronauts and spacecraft, power grids and GPS, and many other systems that power our modern world."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store