AMHERST, MA (FRANKLIN COUNTY NOW) — UMass Amherst researchers aided in the discovery of a new mineral found on Mars, ferric hydroxysulfate, formed in two location through volcanic heating and geothermal reactions in environments with both water and oxygen. The mineral is believed to have been formed in the Amazonian period, around 3 billion years ago.
The importance of the discovery lies in the evidence that the planet is more active than previously thought.
