Identification of the Ca-sulfate bassanite in Mawrth Vallis, Mars

The region surrounding the Mawrth Vallis outflow channel on Mars hosts thick layered deposits containing diverse phyllosilicate minerals. Here we report detection of the Ca-sulfate bassanite on the outflow channel floor, requiring a more complex aqueous chemistry than previously inferred for this region. The sulfate-bearing materials underlie phyllosilicate-bearing strata, and provide an opportunity for testing proposed models of martian geochemical evolution with a future landed mission. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.