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Mineral on Mars needs water to form
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A mineral common to both Mars and Earth may be an effective tool in determining when and under what conditions water was present on the red planet.
The mineral jarosite, that can only form in the presence of water, is evident in rocks analyzed by the Mars Rover Opportunity.
“Jarosite requires water for its formation, but dry conditions for its preservation,” Baldwin says. “We’d like to know when water formed on the surface of Mars and how long it was there. Studying jarosite may help answer some of these questions," says Suzanne Baldwin, professor of earth sciences at Syracuse University.
Full story at Futurity.
Photo credit: NASA
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