Ceres' water ice can mask massive surface salt deposits

The study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets found that previous estimates of salt in Ceres' surface deposits might be inaccurate. Researchers used Dawn spacecraft data and computer models to analyze the evolution of water ice and salt deposits. They discovered that salt deposits could be hidden by water ice, with potential amounts between 30% and 50% higher than previously thought. Landslides expose more surface ice, which sublimates, leaving behind the salty bright spots observed by Dawn. The study also suggests that surface water ice is replenished, which is necessary to explain the short lifetimes of observed ice. The findings resolve a paradox about how salt-rich deposits form on Ceres, indicating they aren't initially salt-rich but instead enriched by sublimation of salty ices. The research highlights the complex process of sublimation and ice movement on Ceres' surface.

• Researchers from Caltech analyzed Dawn data and computer models.
• Salt deposits might be hidden by water ice, with potential amounts between 30% and 50% higher than previously thought.
• Landslides expose surface ice, which sublimates, leaving behind the salty bright spots.
• The study suggests that ice in deposits with salts sublimates more readily, creating compositional differences between colder, icy surfaces and warmer, salt-richer regions.
• The findings resolve a long-standing misunderstanding about how salt deposits form and evolve on Ceres.

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