This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: So far, most of the minerals found on Mars tell a story of lava poured out by ancient volcanoes, followed by long stretches in which water trickled through and slowly reshaped the rock. However, some rocks scattered across the Martian surface seem to hint at a different geological history—carrying the same material that forms rubies and sapphires.
Through new research published in Geophysical Research Letters, a team led by Ann Ollila at Los Alamos National Laboratory has taken a closer look at data from NASA's Perseverance rover. Their findings suggest that these surface minerals were likely formed suddenly during violent meteorite impacts. Much of what astronomers understand about Martian geology comes from minerals that match their expectations of volcanic origins, followed by an extended spell in a water-rich environment.
But as NASA's Perseverance rover began its journey along the rim of Jezero Crater in 2025, it encountered small, pale rocks with very different mineral compositions. Rather than being part of the surrounding bedrock, these rocks appeared to have been carried in from elsewhere. To investigate, Perseverance applied a range of spectroscopic techniques to determine what these mysterious rocks were made of.
In the spectra, researchers picked up the signature of tiny grains of corundum: the same mineral that forms rubies and sapphires on Earth. The finding was especially strange because corundum usually needs plenty of aluminum and very little silicon to form. In contrast, these rocks were otherwise packed with a silicon-rich mineral that should have used up the aluminum first.
To explain the mystery, Ollila's team considered the violent formation of Jezero Crater itself. Such enormous craters can only be carved out during massive meteorite impacts, which generate enormous heat and pressure capable of transforming the chemical composition of rocks. Combined with the rocks' tiny grain size, their location right on the crater rim and their proximity to other rocks, the team suggests that the evidence closely points to this violent origin story.
With fluid passing through the rocks in the time after the impact, their chemistry could have readily been altered to the composition observed by Perseverance. If the team's predictions are correct, they would suggest that meteorite impacts played a significant role in Mars' geological history, which hasn't been widely considered so far. By searching for the mineral fingerprints created in these dramatic events, astronomers could ultimately reveal more of the ancient secrets still awaiting discovery on our planetary neighbor's surface.
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