RE: [meteorite-list] Any evidence salt water

[Treiman, Allan]

Yes, at least some water on Mars was salty. In Nakhla,

halite (NaCl) is found in cavities, associated with iron carbonate

(siderite) and calcium sulfate (gypsum). It seems pretty sure

that the salt is Martian.

 

Bridges J.C. and Grady M.M. (2000) Evaporite mineral assemblages in the nakhlite (martian) meteorites. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 176, 267-279.

 

  Cheers, Allan

Allan H. Treiman
Lunar and Planetary Institute
3600 Bay Area Boulevard
Houston TX   77058-1113
   281-486-2117
   281-486-2162 FAX
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-----Original Message-----
From: John Reed [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Friday, May 10, 2002 11:32 AM
To: Meteorite Mailing List
Subject: [meteorite-list] Any evidence salt water

Any evidence of salt water on mars? 
Look what I read
"  In 1998, two rocks zoomed through the Earth's atmosphere.
                  One plopped down in Monahans, Texas, near some boys
                  playing basketball. The other landed in Morocco, in a town
                  called Zag.

                upon review by scientists from NASA
                  and other institutions, the Zag and Monahans meteorites turned
                  out to have something special: water.

                  When cracked open, the meteorites exhibit a purple area,
                  which turned out to be ordinary table salt, sodium chloride.
                  Cosmic rays had turned the area purple. Upon closer
                  inspection, scientists found droplets of salty water in the purple.
     Zag and Monahans are of the most common type of meteorite
                  that hits Earth, called chondrites. Scientists believe both came
                  from the same parent asteroid.

                  The existence of water on the meteorites suggests that water,
                  or evidence of water, may be present on many more meteorites
                  that fall on Earth. If this is the case, water may not be as rare in
                  the solar system as many scientists suggest"
                 
 Thanks John Reed