Dark streaks on the slopes of a Martian crater. Liquid water?

(ORDO NEWS) — Here is one of the craters of Mars , the pictures of which gave rise to a wave of pseudoscientific articles that there is water on the surface of the Red Planet.

The authors of such publications argued that the dark stains on the slopes of the impact formation are traces left by water flows.

But what kind of liquid water can we talk about when the average temperature on Mars is -63 degrees Celsius, and the pressure is 168 times less than the earth?

The nature of dark stains has a scientific explanation

Periodically, dust and sand roll down the slopes of Mars in small avalanches.

The dark streaks on the crater walls are the result of relatively light, highly reflective dust avalanching down, revealing the darker, coarser sand underneath.

NASA‘s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft monitors similar craters from time to time to provide scientists with data to better understand the nature of the processes that cause these small avalanches.

If there is liquid water on Mars, it is very salty and hides under the surface, where the pressure and temperature are higher than outside.

By the way, according to one curious study, the subsurface environment of Mars can support life due to radiation.

It is worth noting that in the distant past, there was indeed water on the surface of Mars. Lots of water. Entire rivers, lakes, and probably even oceans.

However, the evolutionary path of the Red Planet led it to a “dead end”, turning it into a very cold and dry world. Why did it happen? This is exactly what the rovers, together with the orbiters, are trying to find out.

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