Inventory of H₂O in the ancient Martian regolith from Northwest Africa 7034: The important role of Fe oxides

Abstract

Abstract Water‐rich Martian regolith breccia Northwest Africa (NWA) 7034 was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy to determine the inventory and phase distribution of H 2 O (used herein to refer to both molecular H 2 O and OH − structural components in hydrous minerals). Hydrous Fe oxide phases (hydromaghemite and an unidentified nanocrystalline Fe‐bearing oxide phase observed with hydromaghemite) and phyllosilicates (saponite) were identified as the primary mineralogic hosts for H 2 O with a minor contribution from Cl‐rich apatite. Based on mass balance calculations and modal abundances of minerals constrained by powder X‐ray diffraction and petrography, we can account for the entire 6000 ppm H 2 O measured in bulk rock analyses of NWA 7034. This H 2 O is distributed evenly between hydrous Fe‐rich oxides and phyllosilicates, indicating that Fe oxides could be as important as phyllosilicates for H 2 O storage in Martian surface material.