Surface water on mars was mineral-rich and salty

On Mars' surface, that liquid water did in fact flow on Mars billions of years ago.

BY
AMIT MALEWAR
JANUARY 22, 2020



There have been several attempts to estimate water chemistry on early Mars using geochemical reaction-transport modeling. There is good evidence in the form of observable river deltas, and more recent measurements made on Mars‘ surface, that liquid water did flow on Mars billions of years ago.

To more readily constrain such claims, researchers are attempting to comprehend the sorts of water chemistry that could have created the minerals seen on Mars today, which were produced billions of years ago.

Salinity, pH, and redox states are fundamental properties that characterize natural water. These properties of surface waters on early Mars reflect palaeoenvironments and thus provide clues on the palaeoclimate and habitability.

Scientists recently constrained these properties of pore water within lacustrine sediments of Gale Crater, Mars, using smectite interlayer compositions. Regardless of formation conditions of smectite, the pore water that last interacted with the deposits was of Na-Cl type with mild salinity (~0.1–0.5?mol/kg) and circumneutral pH.

More:
https://www.techexplorist.com/surface-water-mars-mineral-rich-salty/29321/