Water in the Deepest Crater of Mars

Abstract

Hellas crater is a potential area where episodes of liquid water may appear. The depth of the structure (7,152 m below the standard topographic datum of Mars) explains the atmospheric pressure at the bottom: (11.55 mbar). This is higher than the pressure at the topographical datum (6.1 mbar) and above the triple point of water. That is why PFS and OMEGA, infrared spectrometers installed on Mars Express probe already determined the presence of minerals normally associated with the presence of liquid water on Hellas. Frequency of 1,160 cm-1 has been identified in the spectra of the PFS, that fits very well to the band of sulfates. The band responsible for the occurrence of clay minerals associated with the presence of water on Hellas has been also found in the spectra obtained with the OMEGA instrument. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014.