Earth-like environment on ancient Mars, New findings

Using NASA's Curiosity rover equipped with the ChemCam instrument, a research team has uncovered elevated levels of manganese in lakebed rocks located within Gale Crater on Mars. This discovery suggests that the sediments likely originated in a river, delta, or near the shoreline of an ancient lake. The findings were published recently in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.

"It's surprising to find such high concentrations of manganese oxide in a shoreline deposit on Mars, considering the challenges of its formation on the Martian surface," explained Patrick Gasda, lead author of the study and part of the Space Science and Applications group at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

"On Earth, these deposits are common due to the abundant oxygen in our atmosphere, largely produced by photosynthetic life and microbial activity that facilitates manganese oxidation reactions," he added.

"Unlike Earth, Mars lacks evidence of life, and the process of oxygen production in its ancient atmosphere remains unclear. Therefore, the formation and concentration of manganese oxide on Mars present a perplexing puzzle. These findings suggest that there are broader atmospheric or surface water processes at play on Mars, underscoring the need for further investigation into oxidation mechanisms," Gasda added.

ChemCam, co-developed by Los Alamos and CNES (the French space agency), employs a laser to create a plasma on rock surfaces, collecting the emitted light to analyze the elemental composition of rocks.

The sedimentary rocks investigated by the rover comprise a blend of sands, silts, and muds. Sandy rocks exhibit higher porosity, enabling groundwater to permeate more readily through sands in contrast to the muds predominant in the lakebed rocks of the Gale Crater.

The research team investigated the potential enrichment of manganese in these sands, considering scenarios such as groundwater percolation along the lake shore or at the mouth of a delta, and identified the oxidant responsible for manganese precipitation in the rocks.

"On Earth, manganese enrichment occurs due to atmospheric oxygen, often accelerated by microbial activity. If life existed on ancient Mars, the increased manganese content in these shoreline rocks could have served as a valuable energy source for life," explained Nina Lanza, principal investigator for the ChemCam instrument.

"The Gale lake environment, as revealed by these ancient rocks, provides insight into a habitable environment that bears striking resemblance to present-day Earth locales," Lanza continued. "Manganese minerals are prevalent in the shallow, oxygen-rich waters found along lake shores on Earth, making it remarkable to discover similar features on ancient Mars."

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