Search for Evaporite Minerals in Flaugergues Basin, Mars

Studies of Martian surface geomorphology and detection of near-surface water ice by the Mars Odyssey gamma ray spectrometer suggest that Mars may have had a water-rich past. While 2 to 5 wt.% of carbonate has been detected in the Martian dust [1,2], no spectral evidence for significant deposits of carbonates or sulfates has been found to date. Most investigations into Mars aqueous mineralogy have been global in scope with only a few regional studies (e.g., [3]). We are searching for localized deposits in putative lacustrine basins utilizing a basin flow model to identify basins with large drainage areas. Such basins are more likely to accumulate high concentrations of aqueous minerals than deep basins which drain only small regions.