Extensive hydrated silica materials in western Hellas Basin, Mars

Near-infrared spectral data indicate the presence of hydrated, poorly crystalline silica where high bulk silica contents have been previously identified in Hellas Basin. No other aqueous phases are identified in these regions and the deposits may be nearly pure. The silica-bearing surfaces are sporadically exposed along a 650 km stretch of the western basin rim within a limited elevation range and display a variety of surface textures suggesting that the materials have been reworked, but not transported large distances. The high abundances and lack of associated aqueous phases indicate that high water to rock ratios were present in the region during the Noachian period but without elevated temperatures or for durations necessary for quartz diagenesis. The silica-bearing materials may have formed via direct precipitation from silica saturated groundwater sources, although other formation mechanisms are also plausible.