Scientists uncovered Mars’ complex water history

New data from NASA’s Perseverance rover have revealed that the Margin Unit, located on the inner rim of Jezero Crater, has experienced a much more complex history of interaction with water than scientists previously thought based on orbital observations.

Researchers initially expected to find sedimentary rocks left behind by an ancient lake. However, Perseverance discovered evidence of at least three different episodes in which water interacted with igneous rocks formed from volcanic activity.

In the upper part of the Margin Unit, about 265 meters above the lowest areas of the region, Perseverance detected coarse-grained rock containing olivine with very few signs of water exposure. Its structure suggests that magma cooled slowly deep beneath the Martian surface before moving upward.