The study, led by Dr Michael Jones from QUT's Central Analytical Research Facility and School of Chemistry and Physics, involved collaboration with Associate Professor David Flannery, Associate Professor Christoph Schrank, Brendan Orenstein, and Peter Nemere, along with international partners across North America and Europe. Their research appears in the journal Science Advances.
"Sulphate minerals that contain different amounts of water are found widely across Mars. They provide crucial clues about how water moved through Martian environments, which is central to understanding whether Mars could have supported life," explained Dr Jones. "But until now, we lacked a way to directly measure their internal structure in situ on the planet's surface."
To solve this challenge, the team adapted an advanced technique known as X-ray Backscatter Diffraction Mapping (XBDM) for use with Perseverance's PIXL instrument. This instrument, co-developed by QUT alumna Abigail Allwood, enabled the researchers to assess the orientation of the crystals within rock samples and deduce the sequence and conditions of their growth.
Their analysis of samples from the Shenandoah formation in Jezero crater identified two distinct generations of calcium-sulfate minerals. One generation formed at shallow depths near the surface, while another formed deeper underground, at least 80 meters below. These multiple mineralization events point to a dynamic geological history with intermittent water activity.
"The presence of two separate phases of mineral growth suggests that the Martian subsurface experienced different wetting episodes," said Dr Jones. "This broadens the range of potentially habitable conditions that may have existed at different times in Mars' past."
Since touching down in Jezero Crater in early 2021, the Perseverance rover has been surveying a rich array of geological features, including sedimentary layers and basaltic outcrops. A primary objective of its mission is to investigate environments that may have once harbored microbial life and to collect geological samples for future return missions.
The QUT team is part of the university's Planetary Surface Exploration Research Group, a multidisciplinary collective involved in several projects supported by NASA and the Australian Space Agency. Professor Flannery, who also serves as a strategic planner for the Perseverance mission, emphasized the growing role of Australian scientists in space research.
"QUT is driving Australia's contribution to planetary science," he said. "By engaging in frontier fields like robotics, automation, data science, and astrobiology, our researchers are helping lay the groundwork for the country's emerging space industry."
Research Report:In-situ crystallographic mapping constrains sulfate precipitation and timing in Jezero crater, Mars
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Central Analytical Research Facility
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