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Flowing Water Discovered on Mars
Dolphy writes "BBC News has the latest big scoop on the Mars phenomenon. Researcher Tahirih Motazedian apparently uncovered proof quite some time ago of flowing water and surface change on Mars."
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where is my trunk?
1. Beach resort
2. Evaporate it for salt
3. Water fights
4. Endless discussion about life on Mars
5. Experiments to see if fish could live on Mars
You forgot...
6. Profit!!!
Learning HOW to think is more important than learning WHAT to think.
Is it just me or what? But it seems like every time I turn around someone is finding water on mars again for the first time.
Right, wrong, irrelevent. What is, is. Lord Prox
Don't link to the science index page - link directly to the story, silly. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2846897.stm
By Dr David Whitehouse
BBC News Online science editor
Dark streaks on crater and valley walls may indicate that brackish water currently flows across the surface of Mars.
New images and analysis suggest the slopes around the Red Planet's largest extinct volcano, Olympus Mons, contain dark stains caused by brine flowing down hill. The discovery indicates that the substantial underground ice deposits on Mars can sometimes melt and flow across the surface.
It is bound to increase speculation that life may exist near to the surface of the planet.
Dark streaks
According to researcher Tahirih Motazedian, of the University of Oregon, US, it is the first time that changes on Mars have been seen due to water. She told BBC News Online that she had examined images of Mars taken at different times and had seen new streaks form within time intervals of months. She speculates that geothermal activity driven by volcanic heat may be causing the melting of subsurface ice.
The water dissolves surrounding minerals to form a super-saline brine which, because it contains salts, can remain liquid at lower temperatures and pressures than pure water can. When the brine trickles on to the surface, it flows downhill staining the surface.
"The streaks originate from distinct geologic horizons below the Martian surface, where the water-ice table has been intersected by crater and valley walls," she said.
'Dynamic fluid flow'
Significantly, the dark streaks are never overlain or cut by other features like craters or sand dunes, just as if they were made by water marking the surface. "They passively overlay existing features except where they are forced to flow around obstacles," she said.
The dark streaks always begin upslope as a point and widen downslope, just like flowing water. The streaks have the same dispersive patterns that liquid water has when it flows downhill, "highly indicative of dynamic fluid flow", says Tahirih Motazedian.
Images taken of the Mangala Valles region show that the dark streaks are being formed at the present time. Two images taken a few months apart show new streaks have appeared.
"This demonstrates the existence of a currently active, short-term process of surface change on Mars," the researcher said.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/sci/tech/2 846897.stm
bamph
there prolly is also life, because all living things are contained in water... who knows, who knows ;)
... flowing beer on Mars! - I just wish the scientists would hurry up and find it.