relation: https://oro.open.ac.uk/66213/ title: New simulants for martian regolith: Controlling iron variability creator: Ramkissoon, Nisha K. creator: Pearson, Victoria K. creator: Schwenzer, Susanne P. creator: Schröder, Christian creator: Kirnbauer, Thomas creator: Wood, Deborah creator: Seidel, Robert G. W. creator: Miller, Michael A. creator: Olsson-Francis, Karen description: Existing martian simulants are predominantly based on the chemistry of the average ‘global’ martian regolith as defined by data on chemical and mineralogical variability detected by orbiting spacecraft, surface rovers and landers. We have therefore developed new martian simulants based on the known composition of regolith from four different martian surface environments: an early basaltic terrain, a sulfur-rich regolith, a haematite-rich regolith and a contemporary Mars regolith. Simulants have been developed so that the Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ ratios can be adjusted, if necessary, leading to the development of four standard simulants and four Fe-modified simulants. Characterisation of the simulants confirm that all but two (both sulfur-rich) are within 5 wt% of the martian chemistries that they were based on and, unlike previous simulants, they have Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ ratios comparable to those found on Mars. Here we outline the design, production and characterisation of these new martian regolith simulants. These are to be used initially in experiments to study the potential habitability of martian environments in which Fe may be a key energy source. date: 2019-12 type: Journal Item type: PeerReviewed format: application/pdf language: en rights: cc_by_nc_nd_4 identifier: https://oro.open.ac.uk/66213/1/66213.pdf format: application/pdf language: en rights: cc_by_nc_nd_4 identifier: https://oro.open.ac.uk/66213/8/1-s2.0-S0032063318304446-main.pdf identifier: Ramkissoon, Nisha K. ; Pearson, Victoria K. ; Schwenzer, Susanne P. ; Schröder, Christian; Kirnbauer, Thomas; Wood, Deborah; Seidel, Robert G. W. ; Miller, Michael A. and Olsson-Francis, Karen (2019). New simulants for martian regolith: Controlling iron variability. Planetary and Space Science, 179, article no. 104722.