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Uninhabitable martian clays?

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Clay minerals on Mars have been interpreted as an indication for a warm, wet early climate. A new hypothesis proposes that the minerals instead formed during brief periods of magmatic degassing, diminishing the prospects for signs of life in these settings.

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Figure 1: Hydrated clay minerals exposed in the ancient crust of Mars at Mawrth Vallis, looking south.

© JOSEPH MICHALSKI

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Brian Hynek is at the Department of Geological Sciences and Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, 3665 Discovery Drive, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303, USA,

    Brian Hynek

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  1. Brian Hynek
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Correspondence to Brian Hynek.

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Hynek, B. Uninhabitable martian clays?. Nature Geosci 5, 683–684 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1560

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