Newswise — September 2, 2021 – Scientists have been studying the Martian surface with spacecraft since 1965. The September 1st Soils Matter blog explores the different soil-related findings we have learned from Mars explorations.
Blogger Elizabeth Rampe explains, “Active wind-blown sediments and ancient sedimentary rocks on Mars have very low abundances of organic molecules. So, when planetary scientists talk about ‘soils’ on Mars, we don’t mean soil like you could see here on Earth. We ignore the need for this organic component and are typically referring to modern-day, unconsolidated sediments or ‘regolith.’”
“We have yet to unequivocally identify an ancient soil profile on Mars complete with distinct soil horizons,” says Rampe “Measurements by orbiters, landers, and rovers show a variety of minerals that formed from interactions between rock and liquid water. These different ‘secondary minerals’ tell us that the pH, temperature, and salinity of liquid water on ancient Mars changed over space and time.”
Learn more about soils on Mars by reading the entire blog: https://soilsmatter.wordpress.com/2021/09/01/what-has-been-discovered-about-the-mars-surface-how-does-that-relate-to-human-missions/
Follow SSSA on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SSSA.soils, Twitter at SSSA_Soils. SSSA has soils information on www.soils.org/discover-soils, for teachers at www.soils4teachers.org, and for students through 12th grade, www.soils4kids.org.
The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) is a progressive international scientific society that fosters the transfer of knowledge and practices to sustain global soils. Based in Madison, WI, and founded in 1936, SSSA is the professional home for 6,000+ members and 1,000+ certified professionals dedicated to advancing the field of soil science. The Society provides information about soils in relation to crop production, environmental quality, ecosystem sustainability, bioremediation, waste management, recycling, and wise land use.
MEDIA CONTACT
Register for reporter access to contact detailsArticle Multimedia
Credit:
Caption: (Top) Home Plate volcanic feature imaged by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona (Bottom) “Tyrone” soil enriched in sulfate, churned up by Spirit’s wheels. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell
Credit:
Caption: Evidence for evaporite crystals. (Left) Mosaic image of elongate crystal molds collected by Opportunity’s Microscopic Imager. Credit: S. M. McLennan et al. (2005) Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 240, 95-121. (Right) Elongate crystal forms in the “Mojave2” target collected by Curiosity’s Mars Hand Lens Imager. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Credit:
Caption: Images of soils on Mars. (Left) Image of a scoop into arctic soil on Mars collected by Phoenix’s Surface Stereo Imager on the 21st and 25th days of the mission, or sols 20 and 24. White material is subsurface water ice, which sublimates over time. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University. (Right) Image of the “Rocknest” target showing two scoops into the surface collected by Curiosity’s Mast camera. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin/Emily Lakdawalla
Caption: A portion of Jezero crater on Mars, showing an ancient river channel flowing into the crater and a delta deposit, indicating the river flowed into a lake on the crater floor. The Perseverance rover landed in Jezero on February 18, 2021, and the landing ellipse is in yellow.
RSS
