What makes Mars the 'Red' Planet? Scientists have some new ideas

[Admin]

Mars is known as the "Red" Planet, but what actually makes it red? New research offers answers.

What makes Mars the 'Red' Planet? Scientists have some new ideas : Read more

 

[Unclear Engineer]

Because the ferrihydrite forms from exposure to cold water, I am wondering if its presence on Mars really indicates much water on the Martian surface, previously. There are apparently still annually forming ice caps on Mars. Could they temporarily form liquid water beneath the ice as they melt, allowing ferrihydrites to form, which then get blown around the planet when the ice is gone? If that sort of mechanism occurred over much of the planet's surface in the past, would it still have required lakes, rivers and oceans to produce what we see today?

I do realize that there are other indications of ancient liquid surface water on Mars. So my question is more about when Mars actually turned red. Was it mainly after the water was gone, or did it happen while the planet's surface was potentially suitable for life?