The Martian landscape near where Curiosity took the rock samples in 2019. Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSSRocks on Mars preserve a record of the planets ancient past, but a surprising discovery made by NASAs Curiosity rover reveals some spots of Martian rock have actually had their histories totally erased.The primary function of NASAs Curiosity objective is to assess the prior capacity for habitability on Mars, while the recently shown up Perseverance objective intends to find real residues or indications of prior life. To that end, Curiosity has actually been examining sedimentary rocks in Gale crater, which are filled with clay minerals. Clay is an important marker of habitability, as it recommends the past presence of liquid water– an essential ingredient for life. Utilizing its Chemistry and Mineralogy instrument, also called CheMin, the six-wheeled rover has been examining drill samples of sedimentary layers along the lower reaches of Mount Sharp. In 2019, a fortuitous pathway from Vera Rubin ridge to Glen Torridon made it possible for Curiosity to take a look at a mudstone layer that formed in a Martian lake some 3.5 billion years back. Sedimentary rock at the website of a former lake in Gale crater. Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSSThe rover took samples from two areas situated less than 1,310 feet (400 meters) apart. Research published today in Science explains unanticipated distinctions in these two areas, as one patch included only half of the anticipated quantity of clay minerals. Instead, these ancient mudstones were loaded with iron oxides, which, interestingly enough, is the stuff that provides Mars its iconic red hue.G/ O Media might get a commissionThe mudstone from both spots dates back to the exact same time and location, so they need to consist of comparable quantities of clay minerals. This surprising observation needed the scientists, led by Tom Bristow from NASAs Ames Research Center, to conjure an explanation for the missing clay. Ancient rocks are known for being repositories of history, however as the brand-new research study programs, natural geological processes can undo this record.To discuss what occurred, the team posited a situation in which water leaked down into the clay from a sulfate deposit located straight above. The supersalty salt water leaked through grains of sand at the bottom of the previous lake and, by doing so, permanently altered the mineral-rich layers below.Cracks in this Martian rock, called “Old Soaker,” most likely formed from the drying of a mud layer. Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS”We utilized to think that when these layers of clay minerals formed at the bottom of the lake in Gale Crater, they stayed that method, maintaining the minute in time they formed for billions of years,” Bristow discussed in a NASA declaration. “But later on brines broke down these clay minerals in some places– essentially resetting the rock record.”In an email, Bristow stated the brand-new research study adds to the steadily emerging picture of ancient Martian habitability.”It supports previous evidence that revealed fluids continued to move through Gale crater rocks long after they were transferred,” he described. “It likewise reveals that there were geochemical gradients– some parts of the rocks were impacted more than others and fluid chemistry altered,” stated Bristow, including that biological organisms “can utilize geochemical gradients to capture energy.”This process wasnt uniform throughout the bottom of the previous lake, as it happened after the lake lost its liquid water, according to the research study. Groundwater in Gale crater continued to flow– and also transportation and liquify chemicals– below the surface. As an effect, some pockets of subsurface mudstone were exposed to different conditions. Those pockets exposed to the salted water went through a process called “diagenesis,” in which the altering mineralogy erased the geological– and perhaps biological– record. Remarkably, if not paradoxically, diagenesis could create environments friendly to microorganisms even as it removed prospective evidence of life, according to John Grotzinger, a co-author of the study and a teacher of geology at Caltech.”These are outstanding locations to try to find evidence of ancient life and gauge habitability,” Grotzinger stated in the statement. “Even though diagenesis might eliminate the indications of life in the initial lake, it creates the chemical gradients necessary to support subsurface life, so we are actually excited to have actually found this.”I like this paper for numerous reasons. First, it enhances our understanding of the geological procedures on the Red Planet and its unexpected complexities. Second, its a tip that Curiosity is still doing crucial deal with Mars, even nine years after it first began rolling and as Perseverance starts to steal the spotlight. This study can now notify the Perseverance team as they evaluate targets for examination and select rock samples that might ultimately be given Earth for better analysis. Excitingly, the two rovers are now working as a group (despite the fact that theyre 2,300 miles apart), and, in so doing, they can affect each others work. More: NASAs other Mars rover returns a selfie to remind us it still exists.

To that end, Curiosity has actually been examining sedimentary rocks in Gale crater, which are filled with clay minerals. Sedimentary rock at the website of a former lake in Gale crater. Ancient rocks are understood for being repositories of history, however as the brand-new research study programs, natural geological procedures can undo this record.To explain what took place, the team posited a scenario in which water dripped down into the clay from a sulfate deposit located directly above. The supersalty brines permeated through grains of sand at the bottom of the former lake and, by doing so, forever changed the mineral-rich layers below.Cracks in this Martian rock, called “Old Soaker,” most likely formed from the drying of a mud layer. “But later on salt water broke down these clay minerals in some locations– basically resetting the rock record.