Mars May Reveal a Brand-New Mineral Formed by Heat and Water

Scientists analyzing Martian sulfate deposits near Valles Marineris combined laboratory heating experiments with orbital data to identify ferric hydroxysulfate, a potentially new mineral that forms when hydrated ferrous sulfates are heated in the presence of oxygen; its spectral signatures and layered occurrence imply past warmer, wetter conditions and geothermal activity on Mars, though Earth verification is needed to officially recognize it as a new mineral.