Researchers drop a water droplet on the flat surface of hydrophobic fine sand. The water droplet has a contact angle of 120 degrees at the three-phase interface. The water droplet stands up and has a more rounded shape than a flattened shape compared to normal hydrophilic sand. Catastrophic Post-Wildfire Mudflows studies the formation and stability of this bubble-sand structure in microgravity. A better understanding of these phenomena could improve the understanding, modeling, and predicting of mudflows and support development of innovative solutions to prevent catastrophic post-fire events. Image courtesy of the UCSD Geo-Micromechanics Research Group.

jsc2022e072961 (9/16/2022) --- Researchers drop a water droplet on the flat surface of hydrophobic fine sand. The water droplet has a contact angle of 120 degrees at the three-phase interface. The water droplet stands up and has a more rounded shape than a flattened shape compared to normal hydrophilic sand. Catastrophic Post-Wildfire Mudflows studies the formation and stability of this bubble-sand structure in microgravity. A better understanding of these phenomena could improve the understanding, modeling, and predicting of mudflows and support development of innovative solutions to prevent catastrophic post-fire events. Image courtesy of the UCSD Geo-Micromechanics Research Group.

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