Scientists at Curtin University have found what might be the oldest signs of hot water activity on Mars. They looked at a very old rock from Mars, known as Black Beauty, which is a meteorite that landed on Earth. This rock, also called NWA7034, is about 4.45 billion years old and contains small crystals called zircon grains.

Zircon is a mineral that can survive intense conditions like heat and shock from meteor impacts. The scientists used nano-scale geochemistry to see and study very tiny parts of the zircon to find out what elements are in it.

What they found were traces of elements like iron, aluminium, yttrium, and sodium in the zircon. These elements are signs that water was around when the zircon formed. Water can change the composition of rocks, leaving behind these ‘fingerprints’ or chemical signs of its presence.

This process happens in hydrothermal systems, which are places where hot water from deep in the earth mixes with the rocks. On Earth, these systems are crucial for life because they provide warmth and nutrients.

This discovery tells us that Mars might have had the right conditions for life very early in its history, before 4.1 billion years ago. Even though Mars has gone through many big impacts from space rocks, this study shows that there was water during these ancient times, suggesting that Mars could have been habitable.

The study is published in Science Advances.

Chinese mission data suggests similar conclusions

In related research, data collected by the Chinese Mars rover Zhurong seems to confirm previous suggestions that an ocean may have existed in the northern lowland on Mars. The study, published in Nature, concludes that the Utopia Planitia region on Mars exhibits water-related features on its surface.

“In situ measurements by sensors onboard the Zhurong rover hardly provide direct evidence of the existence of an ancient ocean;” note the Chinese scientists. However, they do not contradict this model and could be considered within the context of ocean theory.”

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