Planetary scientists conducted "kitchen" experiments simulating steam explosions on Mars.

In the summer of 2019, during the eruption of the Hawaiian volcano Kilauea, lava flowed into the ocean. At that moment, a tourist boat was sailing nearby. Twenty-three people were injured. A similar incident occurred in 2017 on the slopes of Mount Etna, where lava covered a significant amount of snow.

Both times, a steam explosion took place: when water came into contact with the lava, it instantly turned into steam, which then burst upwards. The result of such a "pressure cooker explosion" typically creates a rounded, crater-like indentation, which is why geologists refer to it as a pseudocrater.

Many such structures exist in Iceland. However, recent findings suggest that steam explosions are not unique to Earth; traces of them have been observed on Mars — for instance, in the Athabasca Valley amidst the Elysium Plain. This location is particularly notable for its abundance of winding elongated structures — drainage channels through which water carved its path during Martian floods.

Recently, researchers from Niigata University (Japan) decided to observe how Martian water interacted with superheated lava billions of years ago. In an article for the publication Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, they explained that this required nothing special, just ordinary starch, baking soda, cake syrup, and some knowledge.

They mixed starch with water, heated it, and used that mixture as lava, while the baking soda and sweet syrup acted as water. Upon contact, the baking soda immediately released a significant amount of carbon dioxide. Essentially, this resulted in a steam explosion similar to those in the Athabasca Valley or on the slopes of Etna.

The researchers discovered intriguing details: when there is relatively little lava, many small steam explosions occur, whereas if the lava covers the water with a thick layer, fewer eruptions rise to the surface, but they are larger. There are also instances where the rising steam flows begin to overlap, effectively entering into "competition," with many failing to reach the lava surface. According to the planetary scientists, this helps clarify the distribution of Martian pseudocraters.