Abstract: Ferric (Fe3+-bearing) smectites, including nontronite, constitute the majority of hydrous mineral exposures observed on Mars. These smectite exposures are commonly interpreted as weathering products of Martian basaltic crust. However, ferrous (Fe2+-dominated) smectites, not ferric, are the thermo-dynamically predicted products of weathering in anoxic conditions, as predicted for early Mars. Earth was anoxic until the Proterozoic Great Oxidation Event; Mars likely experienced an analogous oxid…