The Martian ‘low-humidity kieserite’ – what is it indeed?

Description

While the presence of hydrous sulphates on the surface of Mars – being part of the water budget mainly at equatorial latitudes – is firmly established (e.g. NOEL et al. 2015), some ambiguity still exists concerning the character of the monohydrated Mg-sulfate, formerly presumed to be kieserite, i.e. monoclinic MgSO₄·H₂O. In dehydration experiments revising the behaviour of Mars-related hydrated Mg-sulphates, WANG et al. (2009) obtained a so-called ‘low-humidity’ (‘lh’) kieserite, spectroscopically largely similar to ‘classic’ kieserite sensu stricto (s.s.). However, in powder X-ray diffraction, this new ‘polytype’ shows a second strong Bragg reflection not seen in kieserite (s.s.). Furthermore, some authors previously disputed the stability of kieserite (s.s.) on Mars in respect to the prevailing surface conditions (CHIPERA & VANIMAN, 2006).

Period	21 Oct 2025 → 23 Oct 2025
Event title	MinPet 2025: From Fundamental Research to Applications in Industry
Event type	Conference
Location	Leoben, AustriaShow on map
Degree of Recognition	National