Which mineral indicates an earlier, milder aqueous epoch on Mars, contrasting with the highly acidic water signatures?
Answer
Clay Minerals (Phyllosilicates)
The chemical analyses from both rovers allowed scientists to construct a timeline of Mars's wet history based on varying water chemistries. While Opportunity's findings prominently featured jarosite, which demands a highly acidic environment, the presence of Clay Minerals, also known as Phyllosilicates, points to a different, earlier phase. Clay minerals are characteristically formed in environments where water is neutral or near-neutral in pH. The identification of these minerals suggests that Mars experienced an initial, gentler aqueous epoch where conditions were far more benign before potentially shifting to the more acidic and salty surface water conditions observed later in the Meridiani Planum record.
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