Rover Detects Organic Carbon on Mars Rock Surface

A Mars rover measured organic carbon within and on rocks in an ancient river channel that once fed a lake in Jezero crater. The measurements were taken in July 2024 at a rock formation called Bright Angel. The carbon was found both mixed with silicate sediment and with later-forming carbonate and sulfate minerals.

This distribution suggests the material was emplaced at two different stages in the rocks' history.

The rover used an instrument called SHERLOC to examine four targets across three rocks. One detection occurred on a rock surface the rover had not drilled into. The same July 2024 measurements also identified mineral rims around spots that contain iron phosphate. Similar features on Earth are sometimes linked to ancient microbial activity.

2014 the Curiosity rover detected organic material at Gale crater, more than 3,500 kilometers away. The distance between the two sites could indicate that any past biological processes were widespread if they existed. Laboratory analysis on Earth would be required to determine whether the carbon formed through biological or non-biological processes.

The rover has cached a rock core containing the material for possible return. Plans to bring the samples back have faced budget and priority changes. If returned, the samples could show how complex organic chemistry occurs without life or could indicate biological origins.