Recurring slope lines, dark streaks changing seasonally indicate presence of flowing water in Mars
Q. Recurring slope lines indicate presence of which element on Martian slopes?- Published on 11 Jul 16a. Water
b. Oxygen
c. Nitrogen
d. None of the above
ANSWER: Water
The recurring slope lineae (Latin for line), dark streaks that change seasonally, on Martian slopes indicate presence of flowing water, as per a new study detailing thousands of such features in the red planet’s largest canyon system.
- Study investigated these warm season features in the Valles Marineris region near Mars equator.
- Some sites displayed seasonal flows including isolated peaks and canyon ridges, ground shapes that make it hard to explain the streaks resulting from underground water directly reaching the surface.
- It is unlikely that shallow ground ice would be present as a source for seasonal melting given the warm temperature in the equatorial canyons, according to researchers.
- Water pulled from the atmosphere by salts or mechanisms with no flowing water involved remain possible explanations for the features at these sites.
- These features are called recurring slope lines and since they were discovered in 2011, Martian RSL has become one of the hottest topics in planetary exploration, the strongest proof of liquid water on the Martian surface, even if it is transient.
- Occurrence of these slope lines in these canyons is much more widespread than previously recognised.
- They appear as dark lines extending downslope during the warm season, then fading away during the colder part of the year, then repeating the progression
