Mars Exploration Rover Mission
Meridiani Rocks: Summary
•It was once wet at Meridiani Planum.
•Rocks are a mixture of chemical and siliciclastic sediments with a complex diagenetic history.
•Uppermost strata are water-lain; lowest strata have undergone eolian reworking.
•Environmental conditions recorded include episodic inundation by shallow surface water, evaporation and desiccation.
•Conditions were “habitable”, but could have posed significant challenges to the origin of life:
–Highly saline?
–Highly acidic?
–Arid and only intermittently wet?
•Aqueous precipitates (particularly concretions) might be good at preserving fossil evidence of microbial life.