A new study reveals a possible habitable past and evidence of ancient microbial activity on Mars.
The research, which was led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and featured key analysis from Imperial College London, has found a variety of minerals and organic matter in Martian rocks that suggest that the Red Planet may have once had habitable conditions and possibly even biological activity.
An international team of researchers, including Imperial College's Department of Earth Science and Engineering (ESE), proposes that the geological features within the so-called Bright Angel formation in Mars's Jezero Crater are closely related to organic carbon and could be a compelling potential biosignature of past life, ANI reports.
The Perseverance Rover, an essential component of NASA's Mars 2020 mission, has been exploring the 45-kilometer-wide Jezero Crater since 2021. The site was chosen because it used to contain a massive lake and a river delta, both of which are considered suitable targets in the hunt for signs of past life.
Its main objective is to gather and store the first set of selected rock and soil samples, which will be returned to Earth for detailed analysis.
This study, published in Nature, focusses on a particularly light-toned rock in the crater called 'Bright Angel', which is located within an ancient river valley that supplied water to the Jezero lake.
An accidental discovery
While driving through Neretva Vallis, Perseverance came upon a thick series of fine-grained mudstones and muddy conglomerates.
It analysed these rocks in depth using devices such as the Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry (PIXL) and Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals (SHERLOC).
By mapping the types and distributions of various sedimentary rocks at Bright Angel, ESE researchers were able to reconstruct the environment in which these mudstones were formed.
Their research found a variety of sedimentary formations and textures typical of lake margin and lake bed environments, including a composition rich in minerals such as silica and clays - in contrast to a river scenario, where fast-moving water would transport these microscopic particles away.
This led to an odd conclusion: they discovered lake deposits at the bottom of a river valley. Lake deposits at the base of a river valley.
The discovery may indicate a period in the history of Jezero Crater when the valley itself was flooded, resulting in the formation of this potentially habitable lake.
However, the researchers clarify that they have not yet discovered life on the Red Planet, as they still need to study the rock to confirm if biological processes were involved or not.