Data from ESA's Mars Express and NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter were used to create the first detailed global
New map of mineral deposits onMars will not only change scientists' understanding of the distribution of water on the Red Planet in the past. The data will also be useful for creating a roadmap for future exploration of Mars, including crewed missions.
Scientists were especially surprised when they saw on the mapunexpected abundance of minerals. They were formed as a result of the interaction of rocks and water. Scientists have also discovered hundreds of thousands of previously water-rich areas. Some of them are in the most ancient regions of Mars.
Using new information, scientists in more detailstudy Martian geology. She will explain what happened when he turned from a planet very similar to Earth to a dry and arid world. Scientists also hope to find out if Mars could ever support life in the past.
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The map was created using data collectedthe European Space Agency (ESA) OMEGA instrument on the Mars Express spacecraft and the CRISM spectrometer. They are on board NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The information for the map has been collected for more than 10 years.
Two papers that detail the creation of this new map of Mars have been published in Icarus (one, two).
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