Like, I did this EXACT sequence of actions last time I was in Utah when to figure out if I was in sand or salt. Hating the movie (fools) doesn’t make the geo less plausible.
Q: How does a terrestrial condiment end up on an alien planet?
A: Salt is halite, a naturally occurring mineral of sodium & chloride. It’s not even unique to Earth inside our own solar system (see: a million news articles on Mars rock salt)
More: earther.gizmodo.com/the-amazing-ea…
A: Not all rocks are stable. Weight & explosions on wrong geo produces sinkholes, outgassing, & more.
Specifically, when lasers hit that white crap, is it a silica mineral (quartz) that will melt into glass? Lick test for y/n
A: ...geology is a rather blunt science. Lick tests are SOP that we teach in 1st year intro geo even for non-majors. It’s not that weird.
See also: The entire point of the original thread.