In yet another stunning discovery made by NASA on Mars, there is indication that there may be flowing water during the warmest months on the red planet.

The organization has found “dark, finger-like” features that extend down on Martian slopes that appear during spring and summer months, but fade in winter months. NASA said that those structures have been observed over the seasons in the southern hemisphere of Mars.

“The best explanation for these observations so far is the flow of briny water,” said Alfred McEwen of the University of Arizona, Tucson, in a prepared statement. Scientists believe that possible salt water on Mars similar to that on Earth could drop its freezing point enough to remain liquid and cause the finger-like structures. Pure water would remain frozen at the observed temperatures, NASA said.

Interestingly enough, the researchers believe that the lines indicate that any possible water could be running dry quickly, or may not even be cause by surface water, but shallow subsurface flows. “The flows are not dark because of being wet,” McEwen said. “They are dark for some other reason.”

“It’s a mystery now, but I think it’s a solvable mystery with further observations and laboratory experiments,” McEwen said.

SOURCE via NASA