Quartz crystals on Mars could preserve signs of ancient life | New Scientist

NASA’s Perseverance rover found large crystals of quartz with a high purity on Mars, which probably had to have formed in the presence of hot water

By Alex Wilkins

13 March 2025

The surface of Mars, photographed by NASA’s Perseverance rover

NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU

Pure quartz crystals have been spotted on Mars for the first time, as well as other gems like opal. Researchers say these crystals, as well as being evidence of past hydrothermal activity, could contain well-preserved signs of ancient Martian life.

Since it arrived on Mars in 2020, NASA’s Perseverance rover has been scouring the bottom of Jezero crater, a vast ancient lake probably formed by an asteroid impact. But last year, the rover journeyed out of the lake bottom and began climbing the crater’s rim, where the rocks…

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