[ceagstuntee]

By now we have had seven or so landers studying the geology of Mars, as well as spectrometers in orbit.

So, what are the dominant minerals on Mars?

[Enjoymms]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composition_of_Mars

and

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ore_resources_on_Mars

If wiki is to be believed :-)

[Enjoymms]

What ores are on Mars?

There are none yet but I'm sure they will be amongst the first settlers

[ceagstuntee]

Quoting from the "Composition of Mars" link.

TES identified two global-scale volcanic units on Mars. Surface Type 1 characterises the Noachian-aged highlands and consists of unaltered plagioclase- and clinopyroxene-rich basalts. Surface Type 2 is common in the younger plains north ... andesites or basaltic andesites The difference between andesite (light coloured) and basalt (darker grey) would explain the differences between the different rocks seen by the Curiosity Rover in the latest panorama, though the lighter coloured rocks appear to have larger crystals. Andesite and basalt sit beside one another on this diagram. Perhaps that should be diorite rather than andesite.



Hmm. Surface Type 2 covers a much larger area of Mars than Surface Type 1. That would give andesite as the most common rock, dominated by Plagiocalse (50-70% albite to 30-50% anorthite). We've seen anorthite in the "genesis rock" on the Moon. The " Thermal Emission Spectrometer" has also seen olivine in Nili Fossae and elsewhere. And grey hematite deposits were seen in abundance at two sites on the planet, the Terra Meridiani site, near the Martian equator at 0° longitude, and the second site Aram Chaos near the Valles Marineris.

In order from largest mineral concentration down, we would have something like:

• Plagioclase (between albite and anorthite)
• Pyroxene (incl. Albite and Orthopyroxine)
• Amphibole
• Olivine
• Hematite
• Quartz

> What ores

Hematite for starters.

[Ndptbudd]

Quoting from the "Composition of Mars" link.



Hmm. Surface Type 2 covers a much larger area of Mars than Surface Type 1. That would give andesite as the most common rock, dominated by Plagiocalse (50-70% albite to 30-50% anorthite). We've seen anorthite in the "genesis rock" on the Moon. The TEM has also seen olivine in Nili Fossae and elsewhere. And grey hematite deposits were seen in abundance at two sites on the planet, the Terra Meridiani site, near the Martian equator at 0° longitude, and the second site Aram Chaos near the Valles Marineris.

In order from largest mineral concentration down, we would have something like:

• Plagioclase (between albite and anorthite)
• Pyroxene (incl. Albite and Orthopyroxine)
• Amphibole
• Olivine
• Hematite
• Quartz

> What ores

Hematite for starters.

How would those hematite spheres have formed and be sitting around on the surface?

[Maypeevophy]

That's what NASA'a trying to find out.
One line of thought is they were formed in hydrothermal pools, like Rotorua or Yellowstone, with the water containing high levels of iron in it.