Scientists from the University of Sydney have, for the first time, classified the Red Planet’s soil in detail, dividing it into 2,000 types and creating a map showing their geographical distribution.
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The analysis revealed that the soil substrate with the best initial properties for growing potential crops covers just 0.14% of Mars’s surface. The findings from this comprehensive modelling will help identify priority areas for deploying crewed bases and future agricultural complexes. The study was published in the journal CATENA.
The new classification was developed by postgraduate student Daniel Irving and Professor Alex McBratney, who proposed naming the Martian soil varieties “Arets,” after Ares, the ancient Greek god of war. Previously, astronomers had produced separate maps of geology, minerals and elemental composition. The new research, however, combined orbital satellite data with computer-modelling algorithms covering nearly 800 million locations for the first time, creating an integrated structure covering 92% of the planet’s surface.
The soil was divided into groups according to texture, mineral composition, acidity, layer thickness, and clay and gravel content. To test the system’s practical applicability, the researchers evaluated each soil type against five characteristics considered critical to plant root development.
The highest-ranked soil type was “Nohibareth,” which scored 0.93 on a scale from zero to one. According to the calculations, it has an almost neutral pH of 6.8 and consists of 72% clay particles, with almost no sand or gravel. This structure allows it to retain approximately 202 millimetres of water per metre of depth. The largest deposits of Nohibareth were identified at mid-latitudes in the volcanic highlands of Tharsis, as well as on the plains of Arabia and Elysium.
However, moisture retention has emerged as the biggest weakness of Martian regolith (soil), with this indicator found to be very low in 73% of the types studied. The vast majority of Martian soils cannot retain the precious water needed by plant roots.
The study’s authors stress that the findings do not mean crops can be grown outdoors on Mars. Future Martian farms will require sealed units, the addition of essential nutrients and thorough removal of toxic perchlorates from the soil. In addition, Martian soil contains no organic matter.
Nevertheless, the discovery could also benefit Earth by helping scientists study extreme ecosystems that suffer from a lack of organic matter, such as Chile’s Atacama Desert and Australia’s Pilbara region. The scientists’ next step will be to recreate the identified mixtures in the laboratory and conduct actual experiments on growing crops in artificial Martian soil.
