Researchers at The Open University have discovered what could be the #hydrological process underpinning #sediment mobility on #Mars responsible for surface features which characterize the #Martian #terrain. Using the university's Mars Simulation Chamber to re-create conditions on the #redplanet, the #research team reveals even a small quantity of #water flowing to the surface can move large amounts of sand or other sediments, describing the process as material “levitating” on the cushion of vapor released by boiling waters. Due to the reduced gravitational pull of Mars, the OU team estimates this activity to persist 48 times longer under Martian conditions, resulting in larger volumes of material capable of being moved across longer distances. The implications of this research remain to be followed up by the @europeanspaceagency @exomars_rover in 2020. #FollowTheWater #JourneyToMars
