How Perseverance’s findings are changing our understanding of Mars

A recent publication in Science Advances, featuring contributions from Mariek E. Schmidt from Brock University and Dr. Michael Tice of Texas A&M University, among others, is offering a fresh look at Mars’ past.

The research team had been studying the floor of Jezero Crater. This crater is the same place where the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Perseverance rover is deployed. The findings from the research have revealed that it’s made up of a surprisingly varied mix of iron-rich volcanic rocks.

Tice elucidated that by studying the range of volcanic rocks in the region, the team had gained a deeper understanding of the geological processes that formed that part of Mars. He added that this work deepens the overall understanding of the planet’s history and its potential to have once supported life.

Fresh insights from Jezero Crater

NASA’s Perseverance rover has been exploring Jezero Crater since early 2021, working to uncover whether Mars ever hosted microbial life. It’s been drilling into the surface, gathering samples of rock and dust that might one day make it back to Earth. While the rover carries out its work on the ground, researchers like Dr. Michael Tice are focused on the data it’s sending back.

Their motive? Using its advanced instruments to study what Mars is made of and look for chemical clues tied to life. Tice points out that the tools onboard are leaps ahead of what past rovers had, opening up new layers of detail that weren’t visible before.

Tice described the rover as a “mobile laboratory,” pointing out the fact that it’s providing far more than images. It’s analyzing the chemistry, minerals, and fine textures of Martian rocks up close.

To trace the geological and water-related history of Jezero Crater, Tice and his colleagues focused on a region known as the Maaz formation. They relied on Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry (PIXL), a powerful X-ray device aboard the rover, to examine the rocks’ makeup and surface features. The instrument’s precision gave them a closer look at the elemental structure than previous tools ever allowed.

Geochemical analysis of volcanic rocks reveals Mars’ volcanic history and habitability potential

The researchers identified two main volcanic rock types in the crater. One is darker and packed with iron and magnesium, showing minerals like pyroxene and feldspar, along with signs that olivine has been chemically changed. The other is lighter in color, known as trachy-andesite, and features feldspar crystals set in a potassium-rich base. This mix points to a layered volcanic past shaped by different kinds of lava activity.

Feldspar crystals exhibit thermal disequilibrium textures, indicating they were transported from their original crustal locations. Signs of aqueous alteration, such as serpentinization of olivine leading to hydrated FeMg-silicates and magnetite, were identified. FeMg-carbonate presence along olivine grain edges suggests interaction with water.

The team ran simulations to replicate the environment in which the Martian rocks solidified. Their findings point to a process where minerals gradually separated out as the magma cooled, leading to the unique compositions seen today. There were also hints that the lava likely interacted with iron-rich crust already in place on Mars’ surface.

Tice explained that the same volcanic processes (fractional crystallization and crustal assimilation) seen in the Martian rocks are common in Earth’s active volcanoes. This points to the possibility that the area of Mars in question may have remained volcanically active for a long time, creating conditions that might have supported the chemistry needed for life.

The research team chose these specific rocks because they hold valuable evidence about what Mars was like in the past. Once the samples make it back to Earth, scientists will be able to examine them in far greater detail. This could reveal new insights into their origins and any possible signs of past life.

How Mars’ samples could change our perception of the planet

All of this opens up the idea that if volcanic activity on Mars lasted long enough, it could have created an environment where life had a chance to exist. The rock samples being collected could hold pieces of the puzzle in understanding whether life ever had a foothold on the Red Planet. Within the next ten years, NASA and the European Space Agency intend to bring back the Martian samples to Earth.

Perseverance has given scientists an incredible head start, revealing textures and chemical clues that have never been seen on Mars before. But even with all its advanced tech, there’s only so much a rover can do from millions of miles away.

The real game-changer will be getting those samples back to Earth. With access to full-scale labs and more refined techniques, researchers will be able to dig much deeper. The findings that follow could completely rewrite Mars’ story.

References:

¹ Diverse and highly differentiated lava suite in Jezero crater, Mars: Constraints on intracrustal magmatism revealed by Mars 2020 PIXL. – Mariek E. Schmidt et al. – Science Advances – January 24, 2025 – https://www.science.org/doi/epdf/10.1126/sciadv.adr2613 – OPEN ACCESS