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Joseph R. Michalski coauthored an interpretation of ancient deposits in the Eridania basin on Mars. Infrared mineralogy, imaging and geological context were combined to propose a deep-water hydrothermal circulation environment.^[ref]

Alteration minerals constrain fluid–rock reactions, while their setting tests whether the proposed environment is geometrically plausible. Such evidence helps identify environments relevant to habitability without itself establishing that they contained life.