[Orion78]

Woot! Martian Diamonds, wouldn't that be nice? If that was the case, we would have to do some sample returns! But seriously, do you think Halite is possible? Is salt a common mineral on Mars like it is on Earth? It seems like the kind of thing you would find in a dried up lake bed.

[Bernard Marx]

do you think Halite is possible? Is salt a common mineral on Mars like it is on Earth?

I don't have the expertise to answer that. I think one of the primary objectives of this mission is to perform soil and rock analyses to determine just that kind of question. We know certain minerals are more abundant on the moon than here from rocks that were returned to Earth so there may be big differences between Earth and Mars too. Having lived near the Great Salt Lake I can't recall any single salt xls that large. But this is an alien planet -- who knows yet what's possible? IMO if it's a hole I think another mineral may be more likely. I can't see how halite could form inside another rock that way.