Effect of Solution pH and Chloride Concentration on Akaganeite Precipitation: Implications for Akaganeite Formation on Mars

Abstract: Akaganeite (Beta-FeOOH, chloride-containing Fe(III) (hydr)oxide) has been recently discovered on the surface of Mars by the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover in Yellowknife Bay, Gale Crater, Mars [1] and from orbit by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in Robert Sharp crater and Antoniadi basin [2]. However, the mechanism and aqueous environmental conditions of akaganeite formation (e.g., pH and chloride concentration) remain unknown. We have investigated formation of akaganeite through Fe…