Experiment in lab shows, flow of mud on Mars is like flow of lava on Earth

20 May 2020

Experiment in lab shows, flow of mud on Mars is like flow of lava on Earth

Experiment in lab shows, flow of mud on Mars is like flow of lava on EarthThe surface of Mars has thousands of volcano-like structures. Some of them are believed to be due to magmatic volcanism - the eruption of molten rock (magma) onto the surface of a planet.

Additionally, Mars is also believed to have mud volcanoes (volcanoes that "erupt" mud).

A new experiment conducted on Earth has revealed how mud would flow on Mars. It shows that the mud would flow like lava flow on Earth. Lava is the hot liquid rock that comes out of the earth through a volcano.

Mars has a very thin atmosphere and no surface water.

The experiment was conducted at the low-pressure Mars Chamber at the Open University, UK. In the experiment, researchers poured water-rich mud over a cold sandy surface and videotaped it.

What does the study show?

On Mars' surface conditions, water boils and evaporates (turns to gas) which eventually causes mud to freeze.
 	The mudflows spread as pahoehoe lava flows on Earth. This means liquid mud flows out and refreeze on the surface.
 	This shows, unlike mud on Earth which has a lot of water and remains quite fluid, mud on Mars would be slow-moving.

The experiment proves that mud volcanism can exist on the surface of Mars. Additionally, it adds to our knowledge of how Mars was formed.

This also shows how even simple geological processes (like mudflow) in other planets can be different from how it is on Earth.

Watch a video of the experiment below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yIr_5OBal4

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