According to Nature Communications<\/a>, the data pointed to a rare compound called ferric hydroxysulfate, an iron sulfate phase that may represent a mineral not previously documented in nature. Scientists detected the compound by comparing its infrared absorption properties in laboratory experiments with the spectral signatures observed from Mars<\/a>.<\/p>\n Dr. Bishop explained that the research focused on areas where layered sulfates and unusual spectral bands appeared together, suggesting that specific chemical processes had altered the minerals after their original formation.<\/p>\n Two Regions Reveal Traces Of Ancient Water<\/p>\n Researchers concentrated on two locations near Valles Marineris: Aram Chaos, situated northeast of the canyon system, and the Juventae Plateau above Juventae Chasma, a canyon about five kilometers deep.<\/p>\n Both areas contain geological features associated with past water activity<\/a>. As explained by the researchers, ancient channels cut across the Juventae Plateau, indicating that water once flowed through the region before evaporating and leaving sulfate-rich deposits behind.<\/p>\n These deposits occur in thin layers roughly one meter thick and lie between basaltic rock units. Planetary scientist Dr. Catherine Weitz<\/a> noted that;<\/p>\n \u201cInvestigation of the morphologies and stratigraphies of these four compositional units allowed us to determine the age and formation relationships among the different units.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Heat-driven Chemistry On Mars<\/p>\n Laboratory experiments helped researchers understand how the unusual mineral could have formed. The transformation begins with rozenite, an iron sulfate containing four water molecules in its structure. When heated to about 50\u00b0C, it converts into szomolnokite, which contains only one water molecule.<\/p>\n When temperatures rise above 100\u00b0C and the mineral is exposed to oxygen, the reaction produces ferric hydroxysulfate. This process alters the mineral\u2019s atomic structure and its infrared signature, allowing scientists to identify it using orbital instruments.<\/p>\n![\"Geological](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Geological-units-with-distinct-spectral-signatures-on-the-Juventae-Plateau-1200x800.jpg.webp.webp\")
Geological units with distinct spectral signatures on the Juventae Plateau. Credit: Nature Communications<\/p>\n![\"Rock](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Rock-layers-found-on-the-Juventae-Plateau-1200x888.webp.webp\")
Rock layers found on the Juventae Plateau. Credit: Nature Communications<\/p>\n