Flowing salty brine found on Mars

By Matthew Gunther2015-09-28T00:00:00+01:00

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Hydrated chlorate salts detected in slope streaks indicate contemporary water flow on the red planet

<cite>NASA/JPL/University of Arizona</cite>These dark, narrow, 100m long streaks may be evidence of contemporary flowing water on Mars</div>The salts are consistent with minerals that precipitate from water and indicate that salt hydration may be responsible for the appearance of these dark streaks. Ojha and his colleagues also argue that, as the wetting of perchlorate salts on Earth supports microbial growth, astronomers should analyse the Martian salts for signs of biological activity.

References

L Ojha et al, Nat. Geosci., 2015, DOI: 10.1038/ngeo2546

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