The role of terrestrial analogs in the exploration of the habitability of Martian evaporitic environments

The existence of hydrated, salt-rich deposits on Mars has been demonstrated remotely and by rovers, and they have been largely interpreted as deriving from the desiccation of preexisting bodies of standing water. On Earth, terrains considered as Martian analogs of evaporitic environments host diverse halophilic communities, and despite the difficulty of life in salty environments, and the tempo and mode of the preservation of their fossil remains is still a controversial issue, salt-bearing deposits are primary candidates in the search for traces of Martian life.