Thermal Emission Spectrometer

The Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) is an instrument on board Mars Global Surveyor.

[1] [2] The TES instrument uses the natural harmonic vibrations of the chemical bonds in materials to determine the composition of gases, liquids, and solids.

It is thought that the ancient impact that created the Isidis basin resulted in faults that exposed the olivine.

In the presence of water it weathers into minerals such as goethite, chlorite, smectite, maghemite, and hematite.

[3] Olivine has also been found in the SNC (shergottite, nakhlite, and chassigny) meteorites that are generally accepted to have come from Mars.