“Ceres' water ice can mask massive surface salt deposits”

Key points

• Caltech researchers link Ceres' water ice activity to surface salt deposits.
• Dawn spacecraft data and computer models suggest salt is hidden by ice.
• Salt deposits may be 30% to 50% greater than earlier estimates.
• Landslides expose more ice, which sublimates and leaves salty bright spots.
• Salt-rich deposits form via sublimation and sorting of icy-salt mixtures.