Question about image of 'liquid' water on Mars

I was looking at a recent article about Mars and the "liquid" water found on the surface. There was one picture that to me stood out from the rest, but not because it shows the most water, but because of what it might show and no one is talking about.

The picture below shows water, for lack of better terms, seeping from underground and to the surface then rolling down a cliff. What is interesting are the features in the rocks which suggest this has been happening for a long time. So with that said, what is all the green stuff at the base of the water seeps? It seems to only exist, at least in this picture, where the water goes or has gone.




Could it be some sort of algae or plant life? Maybe a fungus? is it even possible, given the conditions that we think exist on Mars, for some kind of plant life to exist? I would love to hear opinions and ideas. I would like to lean towards something biological but with the filters NASA uses, I am not holding my breath. Image from: Potential Mars Water 'A Big Deal,' Scientists Say

Photo from NASA website

reply to post by DragonFire1024


Top find dude S&F

You think it would have been speculated on already as it looks bloody obvious but having said that I probly would have missed it if I didnt know what to look for.

Sorry I cant be more help but I think ur onto something, even if its just algae its freakin awesome!!!!!!

I don't know, that photo looks like someone used "warp" on it along with a chrome filter. But, that's just me.

My first question: Is this a true-color or false-color image?

When I look at pictures of Mars it is very hard for me to determine what colors are "real" and which are affected by the equipment taking the picture itself. However, if there is actually so form of plant life growing there what a find. Wouldn't that mean that those plants would be releasing 02 into the atmosphere?

Also, from that picture you can definitely see that "something" is eroding the wall. you can clearly see the eroded material building up at the base. That looks like liquid is coming out of that rock face and moving downward to me. Great find!

It could be algae. It could be mineral deposits too..

I wouldn't be surprised if we found limited bacterial and plant life on Mars. We've found algae and bacteria that can thrive in the harshest conditions on Earth..

Guess we'll just have to go there and find out.

Originally posted by warlok
My first question: Is this a true-color or false-color image?

Oblique View of Warm Season Flows in Newton Crater

This image has been reprojected to show a view of a slope as it would be seen from a helicopter inside the crater, with a synthetic Mars-like sky. The source observation was made May 30, 2011, by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Color has been enhanced.

Guess that explains it. Though...how they enhanced them and with what would determine how bad it was changed. But given the formation of the stuff, and it's location in regards to the water, it really leaves me baffled. Even with color enhancement, why would this stuff only show up where the water would eventually runoff to?

Spot the differences. It's so warped.

reply to post by DragonFire1024


The chrome look is due to this being a 3D CG rendering of multiple Mars photos, as opposed to being an actual photo. I don't believe it's a chrome filter, specifically...it would seem to be a direct result of the CG lighting added to lend to the 3D feel, plus an artifact of the rendering, itself.

That being said, what appears green compared to the rest of the soil is actually just a darker brown (but, again, may also appear more green due to the lighting given to the image), and it would most likely be sediment from the liquid flows.

The green stuff is plant type life. Also on this thought. The fact that there is liquid water means that the atmosphere is much more dense than they say otherwise the water would rapidly dissipate into space. The temperature is also not a frigid 240 below zero either. And also the nights are not 240 below either or it would all be ice not water. So the temperature must be around the freezing mark most of the time, maybe more. And plant life that needs sun also needs an atmosphere and warmer temperatures. So I say the green stuff is plant type life as we would understand it to be here on the Earth.

Whatever it is, we're seeing it for the first time, but I doubt it's new to the suits with the highest clearance at NASA.

I saw that on TV or papers and it had to be the supersonic wind
storms making those marks. As little atmosphere Mars has
the gasses get moved around and dry up any water.
No power from the environment for Mars. Or is there a chance
space has enough matter to support cosmic forces at least by
electrical action.

PIA10214:


photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov...

Scroll the picture to the right, look at that hill in the background.

Looks like water to me. There are caves in the hill to the left of the lakeshore.

Download the Hi-Res image to see the water/caves in better detail.