Aram Chaos. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona A new study published in Nature Communications reports the detection of an iron sulfate on Mars that may represent a previously unknown mineral. Sulfur is abundant on Mars and commonly combines with other elements to create sulfate minerals. On Earth, most sulfates dissolve easily in rainwater. Mars, however, is extremely dry, allowing these minerals to persist for billions of years and preserve evidence of ancient environmental