First comprehensive Mars soil classification offers framework for exploration and future farming
A Ph.D. student at the University of Sydney has produced the first comprehensive classification system and map of Martian soils, creating a new framework that could help scientists compare landscapes across the Red Planet and identify promising locations for future exploration, habitation and food production.
A University of Sydney student has created the first detailed map categorizing Martian soil into 2,000 classes, a framework that could guide future exploration and potential farming on Mars. Led by Daniel Irving, the research, published in CATENA, uses orbital data to create a system of "areths," derived from the Greek name for Mars.
The system groups soils into 10 realms and 100 assemblages, with 2,000 detailed classifications based on properties like texture, mineralogy, pH and structure. One class, Nohibareth, scored highest for suitability in water-holding capacity, pH, clay content and other factors important to plant growth, although it accounts for only 0.14% of Mars' surface.
The map highlights promising areas in the midlatitudes, around Tharsis, central Arabia Terra and Elysium Planitia. However, the research cautions that crops would still need controlled environments, water, nutrients and treatment of harmful substances. Future validation will involve Earth-based experiments with Mars-like soil mixtures.
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