New soil map classifies Martian landscapes for future exploration

Daniel Irving, a Ph.D. student at the University of Sydney, developed the first comprehensive system to classify and map soils on Mars.

Irving created a new framework, naming Martian soil classes “areths,” by analyzing orbital observations and models of nearly 800 million locations. His research, published in CATENA, divides Martian soils into 2,000 classes based on properties like texture, mineralogy, pH, and profile thickness, then presents a global map showing their distribution.

This system allows scientists to compare different areas of Mars and pinpoint locations suitable for future missions, habitats, and potentially, growing food. Professor Alex McBratney, Irving’s supervisor, explained that understanding the soil is critical for any future greenhouse efforts on the planet. The researchers assessed all 2,000 soil classes for plant production qualities, identifying Nohibareth as the most promising candidate with a score of 0.93 on their grading scale.

Nohibareth soils, found in the midlatitudes of Mars around Tharsis, Arabia Terra, and Elysium Planitia, feature a pH of 6.8, 72% clay content, and a water-holding capacity of 202 millimeters per meter, though the researchers caution that crops could not be grown directly in Martian soil without controlled environments and treatment. They plan to test Mars-like soil mixtures on Earth to validate their findings and improve the classification as more direct measurements from Mars become available.