Characterization of ferric hydroxysulfate on Mars and implications of the geochemical environment supporting its formation.

ABSTRACT: Sulfate minerals are significant components of the martian surface and provide clues about the martian geochemical environment. One unusual Fe-sulfate phase has been intriguing Mars scientists for over a decade due to its unique spectral bands that are distinct from any known minerals and its occurrence in layered sedimentary rocks. We describe here detection of ferric hydroxysulfate (Fe³⁺SO₄OH) and its implications for the geochemical history of Mars. Crystalline ferric hydroxysulfate is formed by heating hydrous Fe²⁺ sulfates to 100 °C or above and has a strong spectral band at 2.236 µm, similar to the spectral feature observed on Mars at Aram Chaos and on the plateau above Juventae Chasma. Hydrated sulfates at these locations likely formed through evapor

SUBMITTER: Bishop JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12326016 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature