Researchers analyzed a global database of 500,000 strange streaks that occur on steep Martian slopes, concluding that they’re most likely caused by dry processes rather than liquid flow.
Researchers analyzed a global database of 500,000 strange streaks that occur on steep Martian slopes, concluding that they’re most likely caused by dry processes rather than liquid flow.
A new study by planetary scientists at Brown University and the University of Bern in Switzerland casts doubt on one of the most tantalizing clues that water might be flowing on present-day Mars.
For years, scientists have spied strange streaks running down Martian cliffsides and crater walls. Some have interpreted those streaks as liquid flows, suggesting the possibility of currently habitable environments on the Red Planet. But this new study, which used machine learning to create and analyze a massive dataset of slope streak features, points to a different explanation: dry process related to wind and dust activity.
“A big focus of Mars research is understanding modern-day processes on Mars — including the possibility of liquid water on the surface,” said Adomas Valantinas, a postdoctoral researcher at Brown who coauthored the research with Valentin Bickel, a researcher at Bern. “Our study reviewed these features but found no evidence of water. Our model favors dry formation processes.”
Read more at Brown University
