Tridymite is generally associated with silicic volcanism that is known on Earth, and it was not believed to be very important, however it has just been found on Mars as well.
The person responsible for the discovery of this unexpected mineral has been NASA’s Curiosity rover, after carrying out an X-ray analysis of the remains rescued from one of its perforations on the planet’s surface in Gale crater. The discovery of tridymite could prompt scientists to rethink the volcanic history of Mars .
According to one of the main authors of the work, Richard Morris , which has been published in ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’:
On Earth, tridymite forms at high temperatures in an explosive process called silicic volcanism. The Santa Helena volcano (Washington) and the Satsuma-Iwojima volcano (Japan) are examples of this type of volcano. The combination of high silica content and extremely high temperatures in volcanoes create tridymite.
Via | EuropaPress Image | Moyan_brenn