The Ultimate Field Trip 😆

Mineral Matters #380

Fancy a field trip to a locality that has, according to Mindat, over 60 valid mineral species?

There might be a bit of a wait.

Mars, our planetary near neighbour, known as the Red Planet, is still a little bit out of reach for the average rockhound. But, just because we can’t go there, yet, doesn’t mean that we can’t learn a bit about its mineralogy.

Swiss based MDPI publishes articles in their monthly issue of “Minerals”. They have an unusual mechanism for publishing, where the articles are available freely to all, and the authors pay to have their work published. They also produce special issues, and one that is currently underway is “Mineralogy and Geochemistry of Mars: Everything You Need to Know about the Red Planet”.

Probably the only Mars-sourced mineral that average collectors can currently obtain are Martian meteorites. I have one (from Northwest Africa). Do you?

Below: ‘Valinor Hills’, acquired by Nasa’s Perseverance Mars rover on Feb. 21, 2024. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS.