Ancient Mars wasn’t just wet. It was cold and wet
Abundant liquid water helped give Mars its red color and may have formed ancient beaches
Mars’ iconic red color comes from ferrihydrite, a form of iron oxide that contains water, according to a new study. The mineral suggests a cold, wet period in Mars’ history some 3 billion years ago.
ESA & MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/RSSD/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA, 2007