Landslides Work Differently on Mars, and Now We Might Know Why

Erosion on Mars. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/UA/HiRise

Some landslides, both here on Earth and on Mars, behave in a puzzling way: They flow a lot further than friction should allow them too.

They can also be massive, including a well-preserved one in Valles Marineris that is the same size as the state of Rhode Island. Scientists have speculated that it might be so large because a layer of ice that existed in the past provided lubrication. But a new study suggests that no ice is needed to explain it.

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