Why are mossy rocks so slippery?
In: Chemistry
Moss is rather like a sponge and holds water. When it is squeezed by a foot the water acts as a lubricant. The plant can also break away from its anchorage and your foot goes with it.
Ultra-thin coatings are likely to be lichens, not mosses. Moss is a plant, lichen is an symbiotic combination of fungus and algae or cyanobacteria. They are completely different things. Whether and why they are more slippery, I have no idea but it will be down to water lubrication and how tightly they are attached.
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