Mars wasn’t always as different from Earth as it is today.
Evidence recently found by NASA’s Curiosity rover points toward Mars having had an atmosphere with more oxygen long ago in its past. This builds upon other findings of the similarities between our planet and Mars that include evidence for ancient lakes.
Manganese oxides were found in mineral veins in sandstones. The higher level of oxygen is connected to the presence of groundwater in Mars’ ancient past in the area being studied by Curiosity – Gale Crater.
Image Credit: jpl.nasa.gov
On Earth, oxygen in the atmosphere or microbes are required to form these manganese materials. Additionally, an indicator of our atmosphere shifting from lower oxygen levels to the present-day atmosphere rich in oxygen is a high concentration of manganese oxide. Finding manganese oxide on Mars suggests that its atmosphere was once higher in oxygen than it is today.
This evidence was discovered by the spacecraft’s Chemistry Camera, or ChemCam. The instrument assesses the chemical makeup of its targets. How? By studying the flashes of plasma that result from firing laser pulses at targets.
Thousands of miles away, NASA’s Opportunity rover has also found manganese-rich deposits.
Curiosity reached the surface of Mars in 2012 with a prime mission to study the planet’s habitability. It is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for the the agency’s Science Mission Directorate.
Learn more about Curiosity at NASA.gov.