NASA finds evidence of repeated water activity on Mars

The findings come from the “Margin Unit,” a geologic area along the inner edge of Jezero Crater’s rim that borders the shoreline of an ancient lake. Scientists initially expected to find sedimentary rocks there, but Perseverance instead discovered igneous rocks that preserve evidence of multiple episodes of interaction with water.

The findings were published Monday in the journal Communications Earth & Environment. Scientists used the rover’s SuperCam instrument to analyze more than 185 bedrock targets across the Margin Unit and determine their chemistry and mineralogy.

The first water-related episode occurred when carbon-dioxide-rich groundwater reacted with olivine, resulting in ridges of carbonate running through fractures in the bedrock. A second episode may have been associated with the ancient lake that once occupied Jezero Crater.

A later event produced mineral veins containing calcium sulfate and fluorite. Fluorite is an important clue because it typically forms when hot water circulates through volcanic rocks, pointing to a later episode of heated underground-water activity.

Scientists said the findings are significant because Jezero Crater lies within one of the largest exposures of carbonate on Mars. Carbonate and silica minerals can preserve evidence of past environmental conditions and are of particular interest in the search for signs of ancient microbial life.

The team can determine the sequence of the water-related events but cannot yet establish when they occurred.

Perseverance’s mission includes studying Mars’ geology and past climate, searching for signs of ancient microbial life, and collecting and storing samples of Martian rock and regolith.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) had detected the largest newly formed crater ever found in the solar system, created by a rare impact on the Moon between April 11 and May 22, 2024.