{"686632":{"#nid":"686632","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Boiling Mud and Frozen Flows: How Mars\u2019 Atmosphere Shapes Its Sedimentary Landscapes","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research is shared jointly with\u0026nbsp;the \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.asu.edu\/b\/20251024-shaping-red-planets-surface\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EArizona State University\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E newsroom.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe surface and atmosphere of Mars have seen many changes over its 4.5-billion-year history. While the planet\u0027s current atmosphere is very thin (about 0.6% of Earth\u0027s), it was once thick enough to sustain liquid water.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EAccording to\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s43247-025-02879-w\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Enew research\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E published in\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003ECommunications Earth \u0026amp; Environment\u003C\/em\u003E, these atmospheric changes could play a key role in how we interpret sediment deposits on the planet.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cWe found that the changing pressure resulting from atmospheric changes would have produced sediment-rich water flows with varying shapes over time,\u201d says co-author and Georgia Tech Assistant Professor\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/index.php\/people\/rivera-hernandez-frances-0\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFrances Rivera-Hern\u00e1ndez\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, adding that since Mars\u2019 present-day atmosphere is very thin, the associated low pressures would produce behaviors not seen on Earth.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cEarth\u2019s thicker atmosphere means that there are higher pressures on our planet, which produce very different behaviors,\u201d she explains. \u201cThis means that Earth analogs may not be reliable for interpreting some Martian sedimentary landscapes.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cAt low present-day pressures, Mars mud would boil and levitate if the surface temperature was warm, or freeze and flow more like lava if the temperature was cold,\u201d adds study lead\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/search.asu.edu\/profile\/2095063\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJacob Adler\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, who began working on the project while a postdoctoral researcher in Rivera-Hern\u00e1ndez\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/planetas.eas.gatech.edu\/group\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPLANETAS Lab\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E at Georgia Tech, and continued the study in his current role as an assistant research professor in Arizona State University\u0027s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sese.asu.edu\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESchool of Earth and Space Exploration\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe team also included Georgia Tech Ph.D. student and current PLANETAS Lab member \u003Cstrong\u003ESharissa Thompson\u003C\/strong\u003E, along with researchers from the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/?ps_kw=open%20university\u0026amp;cid=\u0026amp;gclsrc=aw.ds\u0026amp;gad_source=1\u0026amp;gad_campaignid=20982613632\u0026amp;gbraid=0AAAAADtVJY6lOT8QCO7OFiUxO7PIekbt_\u0026amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiAxJXJBhD_ARIsAH_JGjjWc21Yadz1zj14RvNHFYHNtn8bTnvF2kh9RNLVBTU8nUep8WlD9ZAaAuj_EALw_wcB\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EOpen University\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003Eand\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.avcr.cz\/en\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECzech Academy of Sciences\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cThis study adds a critical layer of nuance to analogue research,\u201d says Rivera-Hern\u00e1ndez. \u201cBy comparing our lab results to real Martian landforms, we can better reconstruct Mars\u2019 past climate \u2014 leading to increasingly successful research in the future.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMaking Martian mud\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EIn order to recreate past conditions on the red planet, the team conducted over 70 experiments in a Mars simulation chamber, testing how flowing water-sediment mixtures would be affected by the varying pressures and temperatures throughout the planet\u2019s history.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThompson, who specializes in understanding these types of mixtures, played a key role in interpreting the results. \u201cAs part of my Ph.D. work at Georgia Tech, I uncover how and why flow shapes evolve as pressure changes, which helped us understand how these flows could have shifted with changing pressures on Mars over time,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m thrilled to have contributed to the innovative flow experiments this study conducted.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe experiments revealed that at higher atmospheric pressures, water and mud would have similar flow physics (rheology) as on Earth, indicating that some of the oldest sedimentary features on the surface should appear similar to Earth environments. In these scenarios, surface conditions may also have been more habitable for life.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EOn the other hand, as Mars started to lose most of its atmosphere, the dominant physics in sediment flow experiments changed to freezing and boiling. The team found that at the lower pressures Mars has experienced after the Noachian, the rheology and deposit shapes (morphology) were not at all Earth-like.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u201cWhen we mapped out where on Mars, we would expect this different behavior, we found that this opposite behavior could happen at the same time at different locations on the planet,\u201d Adler shares. \u201cThe small-scale climate variations across Mars\u2019 topography are enough to see these opposing effects.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch3 dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDecoding Mars\u0027 past\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h3\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003EThe research suggests that studying the specific shapes of features like sediment flows, debris flows and mudflows could help scientists better estimate climate conditions. It also highlights how laboratory experiments are a critical part of planetary science activities, as they can help scientists better interpret remote sensing and modeling results.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u0022By finding matching morphologies of what we see on Mars and what we see in these lab experiments, we might be able to better time-stamp the paleoclimate record,\u201d Adler explains.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u0022We\u2019ve sent rover missions to Mars largely because we find compelling remote sensing evidence of deposits formed by water or mud that could indicate a habitable environment,\u201d he adds. \u201cWe are often eager to compare what we find to Earth analogs, but these are not always suitable for comparison. This study shows there is still much we can learn about Mars by conducting experiments under Mars conditions.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFunding: NASA\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp dir=\u0022ltr\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EDOI: \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s43247-025-02879-w\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003Ehttps:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s43247-025-02879-w\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENew research is showing that atmospheric pressure shifts dramatically altered how mud and water flowed on Mars \u2014 sometimes boiling, sometimes freezing \u2014 offering fresh clues to reconstruct the planet\u0027s ancient climate and habitability.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"New research is showing that atmospheric pressure shifts dramatically altered how mud and water flowed on Mars \u2014 sometimes boiling, sometimes freezing \u2014 offering fresh clues to reconstruct the planet\u0027s ancient climate and habitability."}],"uid":"35599","created_gmt":"2025-11-26 14:49:31","changed_gmt":"2025-11-26 18:43:35","author":"sperrin6","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-11-26T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2025-11-26T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"678723":{"id":"678723","type":"image","title":"Jacob Adler (left) and Sharissa Thompson (right) conducting research.","body":"\u003Cp\u003EJacob Adler (left) and Sharissa Thompson (right) conducting research.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1764168609","gmt_created":"2025-11-26 14:50:09","changed":"1764168609","gmt_changed":"2025-11-26 14:50:09","alt":"Jacob Adler (left) and Sharissa Thompson (right) conducting research.","file":{"fid":"262792","name":"Sharissa---Adler.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/11\/26\/Sharissa---Adler.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/11\/26\/Sharissa---Adler.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":370205,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/11\/26\/Sharissa---Adler.jpeg?itok=2BbZW0Rf"}}},"media_ids":["678723"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"364801","name":"School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS)"}],"categories":[{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"},{"id":"8862","name":"Student Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"192252","name":"cos-planetary"},{"id":"187927","name":"go-inthenews"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"193653","name":"Georgia Tech Research Institute"},{"id":"193657","name":"Space Research Initiative"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}