The meandering rivulets of "Braided Stream" (right image) mimic flow patterns seen on Earth and other planets in the solar system. Streaming from the rim of the Olympus Mons Volcano on Mars (left image), lava-cut channels wind down the slope of this enormous shield volcano. Elsewhere on Mars, riverbed-like systems of channels can be found, thought to be formed by liquid water runoff.

Upper right: Braided Stream (photo credit: Ned Kahn)   Left: Olympus Mons caldera on Mars (photo credit: NASA)

How It Works:  In "Braided Stream," air bubbles up through fine powder contained between two panes of glass tilted at a 45 degree angle.  As air is pumped into the powder it carves small streams.  After the rising air has carved channels in the powder, subsequent streams follow these paths of least resistance, further deepening the drainage network.  Visitors may change the amount of air being pumped into the powder to create different patterns.