NASA Perseverance Detects Chromium-Containing Corundum on Mars

Discovery on Mars

NASA's Perseverance rover has detected strong, narrow luminescence peaks at two wavelengths of 692.7 and 694.1 nanometers when its SuperCam instrument shot a light-colored rock with a laser. The emission came from chromium atoms present in a corundum mineral structure, according to Roger C. Wiens, SuperCam Principal Investigator for NASA's Perseverance rover at Purdue University.

What the Finding Means

The gemstone version of chromium-containing corundum is ruby. However, NASA has not found collectable rubies on Mars yet. The little corundum crystals are helping scientists learn more about Mars' past.

Corundum is a metamorphic and pegmatitic mineral that scientists would not expect to find on Mars, a planet that lacks plate tectonics. Large meteor and asteroid impacts can create local metamorphism due to long-term heating from the impact. Because Perseverance is in a very ancient terrain near the rim of Jezero crater, researchers can expect some evidence of localized metamorphism.

Instrument Details

SuperCam can time the delay of atomic transitions via the resulting photons, which allowed the team to verify that the emission came from chromium in corundum. Earlier in the mission, the team carried out this technique only rarely; lately, they have performed time-resolved luminescence observations frequently on light-toned rocks to look for more evidence of impact effects.

The results were published in Geophysical Research Letters by a team led by Ann Ollila earlier this year.

Why it matters

The detection provides new evidence about Mars' deep past and suggests localized metamorphism from impact events in ancient terrain near Jezero crater.

Sources

• science.nasa.gov: Rubies on Mars? - NASA Science

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