A native sulfur deposit in Gale crater, Mars
Martian rocks are known to contain sulfur-bearing species, including sulfates and sulfides. These compounds record a sulfur cycle that operated over Mars' geological evolution. We used the Curiosity rover to investigate a deposit of light-toned stones in Gediz Vallis, within Gale crater on Mars. We find that the stones are composed of native sulfur. The sulfur deposit appears to have formed in place, within a sinuous entrenched canyon cut into the floor of Gediz Vallis. The presence of native sulfur implies that a sulfur enrichment pathway involving buoyant subsurface fluids operated on ancient Mars. We propose that the primary source of this sulfur was magmatic vapor, which cooled in the near subsurface cryosphere and was released by decompression during the erosion of Gediz Vallis.
Authors
- A. A. Fraeman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4017-5158)
- L. M. Thompson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5444-952X)
- P. L. King (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8364-9168)
- B. C. Clark (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5546-8757)
- S. J. VanBommel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6565-0827)
- J. V. Clark (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2556-8586)
- J. A. Berger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0380-4683)
- Aster Cowart (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0265-7981)
- Abigail L. Knight (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6832-8190)
- Sarah Simpson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3628-890X)
- H. B. Franz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9716-5597)
- Edwin S. Kite (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1426-1186)
- A. B. Bryk (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2013-7456)
- John R. Christian (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4646-2852)
- R. M. E. Williams (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1571-6952)
- M. A. McCraig
- C. D. O’Connell‐Cooper (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4561-3663)
- Christopher H. House (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4926-4985)
- Deirdra M. Fey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0756-7969)
- R. Gellert (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7928-834X)
- N. I. Boyd
- A. R. Vasavada (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2665-286X)
- William E. Dietrich (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-3371-6650)
Institutions
- University of New Brunswick (CA)
- Australian National University (AU)
- Space Science Institute (US)
- Planetary Science Institute (US)
- Goddard Space Flight Center (US)
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory (US)
- Washington University in St. Louis (US)
- Malin Space Science Systems (United States) (US)
- University of Chicago (US)
- Johnson Space Center (US)
- University of Guelph (CA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science
- Published
- 2026-06-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adu5501
- Primary Topic
- Planetary Science and Exploration
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00