Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 31, 2025

Aesthetically Enhanced Silica Aerogel Via Incorporation of Laser Etching and Dyes
Published on: March 12, 2021
Aqueously altered igneous rocks sampled on the floor of Jezero crater, Mars
K A Farley1, K M Stack2, D L Shuster3
1Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
Abstract:
The Perseverance rover landed in Jezero crater, Mars, to investigate ancient lake and river deposits. We report observations of the crater floor, below the crater's sedimentary delta, finding that the floor consists of igneous rocks altered by water. The lowest exposed unit, informally named Séítah, is a coarsely crystalline olivine-rich rock, which accumulated at the base of a magma body. Magnesium-iron carbonates along grain boundaries indicate reactions with carbon dioxide-rich water under water-poor conditions. Overlying Séítah is a unit informally named Máaz, which we interpret as lava flows or the chemical complement to Séítah in a layered igneous body. Voids in these rocks contain sulfates and perchlorates, likely introduced by later near-surface brine evaporation. Core samples of these rocks have been stored aboard Perseverance for potential return to Earth.
Related Concept Videos
Minerals
Major...
Efflorescence in Masonry
While initial efflorescence is common post-construction and can be cleaned with water and a brush, in certain instances, efflorescence can reappear and gradually diminish over time as salts are leached out...
Gravimetry: Inorganic And Organic Precipitating Agents
Mortar Joint Deterioration in Masonry
The...
Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition
Shape and Texture of Coarse Aggregate

