Low-temperature aqueous alteration of Martian zircon during the late Amazonian period
(PHYSorg.com Physics)

Many accounts at present support the presence of liquid water on Mars, where hydrated minerals testify to past processes of aqueous weathering in Martian meteorites such as NWA 7533/7034. Planetary scientists aim to estimate the timing of weathering on the Martian crust to help understand its evolution, the availability of liquid water and habitability on Mars. In a recent study, Martin Guitreau and Jessica Flahaut at the University of Manchester, U.K., and the National Center for Scientific Research in France, presented a new method based on U-Th-Pb (Uranium-Thorium-Lead) isotope dating systems. Using the technique, Guitreau and Flahaut investigated if Zircon crystals underwent low-temperature aqueous alteration, similar to observations with Hadean-aged detrital crystals from Western Australia.