In News:

• A remote village in Gujarat’s Kutch district, Matanomadh, is emerging as a potential analogue site for India’s future Mars missions.
• Researchers from the Space Applications Centre (ISRO), Savitribai Phule Pune University, and the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences have confirmed the presence of jarosite, a mineral also discovered on Mars, making the region significant for planetary studies.

Jarosite and Its Relevance

• Composition: Jarosite is a yellow-brown mineral composed of potassium, iron, and sulphate, typically formed in arid, saline environments under extreme geochemical conditions.
• Formation: On Earth, it is linked to volcanic activity, where volcanic ash containing sulphur reacts with water-rich environments.
• Global Occurrence: Rare on Earth; found in Mexico, Canada, Japan, Spain, USA (Utah, California), and in India at Kerala’s Varkala cliffs and now Kutch.
• On Mars: First detected in 2004 by NASA’s Opportunity Rover at Meridiani Planum, jarosite is considered strong evidence of water activity on the red planet.

The Kutch Discovery

• Age: Jarosite deposits at Matanomadh have been dated to around 55 million years ago (Paleocene period).
• Geological Significance: Indicates that environmental and chemical conditions in Kutch millions of years ago resembled those on Mars.
• Current Findings: The mineral occurs as fine deposits mixed with clay. When mixed with water, this clay expands—closely resembling Martian sulphate-clay formations.

Importance for Space Research

• Field Analogue for Mars: The site provides a natural laboratory to test rovers, instruments, drilling, geochemistry, and astrobiology experiments for upcoming missions like Mangalyaan-2.
• Astrobiology Potential: Sulphates such as jarosite can trap organic molecules, offering clues to possible microbial life.
• Palaeo-evolution Insights: Helps decode the geological and chemical history of Mars.
• Complementary Sites: While Ladakh’s Tso Kar Valley (HOPE Mission) simulates Martian living conditions, Kutch offers geological parallels for studying surface mineralogy.

Challenges

• The site is currently waterlogged and threatened by coal mining activities in the vicinity. Scientists have urged that Matanomadh be declared a site of planetary geo-heritage to protect its unique deposits.