This is probably more public relations than science
dtb said:
>They really seem to be pushing the salt crust idea at both locations. My >understanding was that there are plausible mechanisms to do that using
>just tiny amounts of moisture from the air over time, doesn't imply
>near-surface water table.
It initially seems strange that they are pushing this moisture / salt crust thing so hard when simpler theories like electrostatic attraction are probably more reasonable. However, MER will be viewed as a political failure if no water is found. This moisture / salt crust thing should be viewed as an attempt at political salvage.
Gary