Scientists simulate Mars' volcanic mudflows

Scientists say mud volcanoes on Mars may flow as volcanic lava does here on Earth. In a study, published on 18 May in the journal Nature Geoscience, scientists carefully simulated the Red Planet's hostile conditions using a low-pressure chamber. Thousands of volcano-like landforms dot the surface of Mars, but their origins are widely debated. Some believe they were created by mud eruptions, but little is known about how mud behaves on the Red Planet's harsh surface. To investigate how watery mud moves on Mars, researcher Petr Broz, from the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague, teamed up with scientists at Open University the UK. Researchers used a special low-pressure chamber to replicate the Red Planet's hostile environment.