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Science 21 March 2008:
Vol. 319. no. 5870, pp. 1651 - 1654
DOI: 10.1126/science.1150690
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Reports

Chloride-Bearing Materials in the Southern Highlands of Mars

M. M. Osterloo,1* V. E. Hamilton,1 J. L. Bandfield,2{dagger} T. D. Glotch,3 A. M. Baldridge,2{ddagger} P. R. Christensen,2 L. L. Tornabene,4 F. S. Anderson1

Chlorides commonly precipitate during the evaporation of surface water or groundwater and during volcanic outgassing. Spectrally distinct surface deposits consistent with chloride-bearing materials have been identified and mapped using data from the 2001 Mars Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System. These deposits are found throughout regions of low albedo in the southern highlands of Mars. Geomorphologic evidence from orbiting imagery reveals these deposits to be light-toned relative to their surroundings and to be polygonally fractured. The deposits are small (< ~25 km2) but globally widespread, occurring in middle to late Noachian terrains with a few occurrences in early Hesperian terrains. The identification of chlorides in the ancient southern highlands suggests that near-surface water was available and widespread in early Martian history.

1 Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, University of Hawaii, 1680 East-West Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
2 School of Earth and Planetary Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
3 Department of Geosciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA.
4 Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.

{dagger} Present address: Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Johnson Hall 070, Box 351310, Seattle, WA 98195–1310, USA.

{ddagger} Present address: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, M/S 183-501, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: osterloo{at}higp.hawaii.edu

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