Magnesium sulphate salts and the history of water on Mars

David T. Vaniman (), David L. Bish, Steve J. Chipera, Claire I. Fialips, J. William Carey and William C. Feldman
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David T. Vaniman: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)
David L. Bish: Indiana University
Steve J. Chipera: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)
Claire I. Fialips: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)
J. William Carey: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)
William C. Feldman: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)

Nature, 2004, vol. 431, issue 7009, 663-665

Abstract: Abstract Recent reports of ∼30 wt% of sulphate within saline sediments on Mars1,2—probably occurring in hydrated form3—suggest a role for sulphates in accounting for equatorial H2O observed in a global survey by the Odyssey spacecraft4. Among salt hydrates likely to be present3, those of the MgSO4·nH2O series have many hydration states. Here we report the exposure of several of these phases to varied temperature, pressure and humidity to constrain their possible H2O contents under martian surface conditions. We found that crystalline structure and H2O content are dependent on temperature–pressure history, that an amorphous hydrated phase with slow dehydration kinetics forms at

Date: 2004
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DOI: 10.1038/nature02973

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