The changing appearance of gullies on Mars over the last seven years suggests that liquid water flowed recently on the red planet and may still seep out in brief bursts, researchers said Wednesday.
In what is billed as “the squirting gun,” new images of known gullies on Mars show evidence of new flows and deposits, pointing to explosive events in which some form of water burst from crater walls and ran down their slopes.
“We’ve had this story of ancient water on Mars,” said researcher Kenneth Edgett, who participated in the Mars gully study, during a press briefing at NASA’s Washington, D.C. headquarters. “Today we’re talking about liquid water that is present on Mars right now.”