Salts were found on Mars, Europa, and Enceladus, and were indicated to exist on Ganymede, Callisto, thus the salts might be common on planetary bodies. Salt studies are, therefore, important for the planetary science. First, the spectroscopic studies of salts serve references for the phase identifications by the analysis of the mission data, and the stability properties of salts can help identify the possible salt phases when the mission data do not give clear indications. Second, salts are the products of interaction between spheres of a planet, thus studies of planetary salts can provide rich information on the geological history of a planet. On the basis of their different origins, salt studies can help understanding the planetary interior, the surface aqueous processes, and the atmosphere. In addition, the origin of salts is the foundation for life occurrence, thus the planetary salt studies are one of the key steps for searching extraterrestrial life. Since 2008, Chinese scientists have carried out analogue studies on Martian salts, thus in this paper, we make a brief review of the analogue studies in the world.

terrestrial planets  /  salts  /  origin and evolution  /  geological history  /  analogue studies