Perseverance rover finds evidence of three water episodes on Mars

NASA’s Perseverance rover has discovered evidence of at least three distinct episodes of water interaction within the Margin Unit of the Jezero Crater on Mars. While scientists initially expected to find sedimentary rocks formed by lake deposits, the rover instead identified igneous rocks that originated from cooling magma deep underground.

These igneous rocks have served as exceptional geological record-keepers. Analysis using the SuperCam instrument revealed that the rocks were chemically altered by water on multiple occasions. The first episode involved carbon dioxide-rich groundwater interacting with olivine to form carbonate ridges. Subsequent episodes included exposure to the ancient Jezero lake and the presence of warm hydrothermal fluids in the subsurface.

The findings, published in Communications Earth & Environment, suggest a much more complex hydrological history for early Mars than previously understood. The presence of water, heat, and chemical energy in the same environment provides significant data for the ongoing search for ancient signs of microbial life.