A new paper in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets describes several manganese-rich features in sandstones of the Murray Formation on Gale crater Mars. Textural, chemical, and photographic evidence were used by the team, which included Swanner, to suggest that the manganese enrichments could have formed during the lake stage. This is significant because many of the manganese enrichments in Gale crater are thought to form later, perhaps as groundwater moved through lithified sediments after the lake evaporated. But manganese deposition from the lake means that these sediments also might indicate the environmental conditions, which could have included oxygen or another oxidant. Swanner’s insights into manganese enrichment pathways in lakes were important in interpreting how manganese might have become enriched.
The release on Science Daily can be found here.