Bad news for the search for liquid water on Mars. The gullies that up to now were believed to have formed through the flow of liquid water were actually created by dry ice. These gullies tend to grow and be active during the winter, and winter on Mars is far too cold for liquid water to be doing anything remotely close to the surface.We thought these gullies were formed by liquid water because that's how they're formed on Earth, and it only made sense that a geologic feature on Mars that looks exactly like a geologic feature on Earth would be made through the same process. Dry ice can create the same sort of gullies, and it is far more likely that the gullies form through dry ice activity. Sublimation loosens the ground, triggering avalanches, while also reducing the friction between particles, causing them to flow more easily.
There is still hope for liquid water on Mars today. There is another kind of feature called recurring slope lineae, dark streaks running down slopes. These form over the summer, making it more likely they are created through the activity of liquid water.
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