Researchers examine rocks found at bottom of Mars

A study published in the journal Science examines rocks found at the bottom of Jezero crater on Mars, named after a municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina BiH where the Perseverance rover landed in 2020, revealing the interaction between rocks and liquid water.

An international team that includes researchers from Imperial College London conducted the study, led by Caltech researchers.

Professor Mark Sephton, a member of the Imperial Department of Earth Science and Engineering, was a member of the science team that took part in the rover's operations on Mars and considered the implications of the results.

I hope that these samples can be returned to Earth one day so that we can look for evidence of water and possible organic matter, and investigate whether conditions were suitable for life in the early history of Mars, he mentioned.

The Perseverance Rover has previously found organic compounds in the Jezero crater delta, named after a municipality in BiH.

Scientists were particularly interested in the Jezero delta because they believed such formations can preserve microorganisms.

The bottom of the crater where the rover landed for safety reasons before traveling to the delta is a bigger mystery.

These minerals, such as carbonates and salts, require water to circulate in magmatic rocks, carving niches. Water deposits dissolved minerals in various areas, such as voids and cracks.

Minerals and possible organic compounds were detected using SHERLOC or the Environmental Scanning Instrument with Raman Luminescence for Organics Chemicals.

The samples would need to be returned to Earth and examined in high-tech laboratories to determine the presence and type of organic matter and whether it has any correlation with life on Mars, according to Radio Slobodna Evropa.