Detection of allophane by Zhurong rover indicative of limited water-alteration at Utopia Planitia of Mars

Tianwen-1 mission is China’s first Martian exploration mission, and the Zhurong rover has successfully landed in southern Utopia Planitia. The MarSCoDe onboard the Zhurong rover can obtain mineralogical information on the Martian surface materials by using SWIR spectra. However, the exact types of hydrated phases are not clear in the existing literature. Thus we combined the SWIR spectra and laboratory database of binary mixtures to further constrain mineral types and their contents. Our results reveal that allophane may be the source of hydration features in the SWIR spectra of the Tianwen-1 landing site. This is of great significance to the geological interpretation and process of the landing site.