Abstract The ubiquitous hydration features observed by Zhurong rover provided new insights into Mars aqueous paleoenvironments. However, the impact of the Martian dust was not previously discussed. Here, we conduct a joint analysis of the Multispectral Camera and Short‐Wave Infrared data to constrain the surface composition. The results show that these hydration features are robust against instrumental biases and associated with dusty surfaces. The 1.9 μm ${\upmu }\mathrm{m}$ feature is shared between Zhurong and Perseverance landing sites, suggesting that it may be relatively common for Mars dust. The discrepancy between in situ and orbital data could be mainly due to atmospheric effects. The 2.2 μm ${\upmu }\mathrm{m}$ band is more specific to the Zhurong landing site, and spectrally consistent with hydrated silica regarding the band shape and position. We propose two possible processes for the origin of such hydrous components at Zhurong landing site, aeolian deposits from nearby cones and/or in situ aqueous alteration products.
Observations from the Little Bunker
Last updated: October 16, 2025 04:11 AM
Atmospheric CO₂
424.4 ppm
+18.2
ppm/year
Atmospheric CH₄
1933.54 ppb
+12.29
ppb/year
Global Temperature
+1.48 °C
Peak: +1.73°C
World Population
8.1 billion
+67
million/year