Clear evidence of current liquid water and its actions on Mars
| Page Link: |
What makes this evidence so powerful is that the features in question often are so delicate that simple wind and dust storms would soon erase or destroy them. The fact that they are short-lived features yet we see them clearly on Mars now proves that they had to be formed recently; in some cases perhaps only hours before.
Note: I will be making each thumbnail image a clickable link to a new page devoted to the details of each feature.
| Two sols before emerging from Eagle Crater to the higher,
flatter plains above, numerous small indentations in the ground
were observed. Wind cannot form these areas because there is
nothing to direct or concentrate the wind to a small spot.
On nearly flat ground, with no obstacles, some force created tiny sinkhole-like depressions, each of which is filled with fine sand. The original image is here at the NASA/JPL website. |
 |
|
| This is a small enigmatic spot in the soil that
was formed when pressurized water sprayed from underground,
creating this distinctive fan pattern. It was found on
Sol 059, directly after the image above.
You can see the spherules clearly, and that some are covered in mud while others are clean. Wind cannot selectively perform this sort of action. The original image is here at the NASA/JPL website. |
 |
|
| On Sol 060 as the rover was attempting to leave
Eagle Crater, it became very clear that the soil was so loose
and fluffy that there was no traction and the wheels were
sinking deeply into it, like mud. The reason was not
clear at first, but it appears that frost crystals had formed
and created a light and soft bed of damp soil that was
responsible for the wheel slippage.
Frost heave is the process that raises the soil in this manner, and it also is what sorts the spherules out and leaves them on the surface, rather than buried. The original image is here at the NASA/JPL website. |
 |
|
| Then of Sol 061, this wash feature was imaged
just two sols before (sol 059 above) showing where a shallow
but strong flow of water has created a
very commonly seen result- the sand and the spherules have
separated and show definite flow lines. You can see two interesting features in the wash area-
first, note where the ring shaped impression shows that the
instrument head was pressed against the soil, leaving a strong
and coherent print. Only damp soil can retain an imprint
in this manner.
Second, see how the spherules have dammed the flow in layers. The sand emerged in a flow of water at the top, and flowed to the lower right. The original image is here at the NASA/JPL website. |
 |
|
| Sol 062 showed us a view of the plains of
Meridiani and the absolute flatness of the area. But
dotted all over the plain were what appeared to be
sinkholes. These dark, sunken areas shows no lip (so
they could not be impact craters) and appeared to be slumped
into the ground.
On Earth, there would be no question that these features were formed through the action of underground water. Monochrome image available only. The original image is here at the NASA/JPL website. |
 |
|
| Sol 063 was the best direct evidence for the
presence of water to date from Opportunity. The area
around Bounce Rock was clearly darker and wet, and showed an
undercut from the flow of water as well. Stereo images
prove that the soil is blown upward and washed out beneath in
a manner that wind cannot duplicate.
Only a liquid can create this result and this appearance. Some scientists propose that liquid CO2 can do this, but that is not possible. Carbon dioxide cannot exist as a liquid at regular atmospheric pressure, and it certainly does not exist as a liquid in near-vacuum. The original image is here at the NASA/JPL website. |
 |
|
| The images of Bounce Rock are fantastic in and
of themselves, but when we compare the images from early and
later sols, we can see that the water has been drying
up! Here is a comparison from Sols 063 and 068, and in
them we can clearly see that the water has begun to disappear
from the area.
The original image is here at the NASA/JPL website. |
 |
|
| On Sol 070, we see the rover moving away from
the Bounce Rock site, and we now have a clear view of the many
sinkholes and mud holes in the area. Clearly these are
not impact craters, because they are long and meandering and
do not exhibit the characteristic lip of an impact crater.
The original image is here at the NASA/JPL website. |
 |
|
| Sol 072 gave a closer look at the dark slumping
pits that appear to be sinkholes. This false color image
shows absorption that seems to indicate water in the darker
areas. Wet soil absorbs the same colors of the spectrum
as the image shows. This is a reliable indicator of the
presence of water. Also note that something has sorted
out the sand at the bottom of this pit.
This image is from R1, R2, and R6. The original image is here at the NASA/JPL website. |
 |
|
| The next few sols show that virtually every pit
is darker inside and has strong absorption in the dark areas
that matches that of water.. This is one such pit from
Sol 081 in close up, showing how some process has created a
trench and has sorted sand from the spherules that litter the
area. Some moving fluid with low viscosity (such as
water) had to be responsible for these features. No
other process will create this look and result.
The original images are here at the NASA/JPL website. |
 |
|
| Here is a view of another small "bowl"
feature from Sol 097. Note that the soil is indeed in a conic depression
(like a cone on its side). This pattern is identical to
the pattern that a jet of water from a garden hose might
produce.
The original images are here at the NASA/JPL website. |
 |
Because of the infrared and optical absorption, we know that this fluid absorbs light in the same manner that liquid water does. It makes the soil darker, it sorts particles of sand from the spherules, and it flows freely through the ground. Water is the only material that fits all these characteristics.
My conclusion is that there is presently liquid water on the surface of Mars today.