Mars x-ray analyses helps confirm new mineral

摘要

INSPIRED BY DATA sent from NASA robots on Mars, Dr Ronald Peterson, Professor of Geology at Queen's University in Kingston, Canada, has observed a new mineral species on Earth, and predicts that it also exists on Mars. The mineral, meridianiite (MgSO_4 centre dot 11H_2O), was named in acknowledgement of the cratered plain of Meridiani Planum on Mars, where one of the NASA robots is operating. Integral to Dr Peterson's work was the PANalytical X'Pert PRO X-ray diffractometer, which provided the necessary speed and flexibility for such highly sensitive analysis.