Scientists identified an iron-rich mineral on the surface of Mars that suggests the planet’s surface may be more dynamic than we thought.
Scientists have a fairly good idea of what Mars’ surface looks like. But exactly what that surface is made up of is more of a mystery.
Now, scientists believe they have discovered an entirely new mineral on Mars from an unusual layer of iron sulfate with a distinct spectral signature. In a Nature Communications paper published on August 5, astrobiologists led by Janice Bishop at the SETI Institute describe the discovery of an unusual ferric hydroxysulfate compound around Valles Marineris, a vast chasm that sits along Mars’ equator. It’s an area that researchers suspect once flowed with water, and the new mineral’s discovery could offer tantalizing clues as to how and what natural forces sculpted the planet’s surface—and whether life once thrived on Mars.
