Free-flowing water discovered on the equator of Mars

Before it lost its atmosphere Mars was covered with liquid water. There is now evidence that certain areas of the red planet may still have free flowing water during certain times of the year. The results come from Alfred McEwen of the University of Arizona and were published in Nature Geosciences.

In 2011, NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) provided images that showed dark streaks in the soil in areas near the equator. Though they faded over time, the streaks return at the warmest part of each year. The most likely answer is that there could very well be liquid water flowing on the surface of Mars under certain circumstances; an unprecedented discovery, since the atmosphere is much too thin to retain liquid water for long periods of time.

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Video at the link.

> There is now evidence that certain areas of the red planet may still have free flowing water …

… for very brief periods. Parts of Gale Crater, where MSL Curiosity landed, fits that description. Liquid water cannot last of the surface of Mars because the air pressure is too low everywhere.

Below the surface is where water will be found