From hydrated silica to quartz: Potential hydrothermal precipitates found in Jezero crater, Mars

• Silica-rich float rocks were discovered by Perseverance. • Quartz, chalcedony and opal were found. • These rocks were part of an ancient hydrothermal system. • If found by the rover, the source deposit is a high-value target for sampling. On Earth, silica-rich phases from opal to quartz are important indicators and tracers of geological processes. Hydrated silica, such as opal, is a particularly good matrix for the preservation of molecular and macroscopic biosignatures. Cherts, a type of silica-dominated rocks, provide a unique archive of ancient terrestrial life while quartz is the emblematic mineral of the Earth's continental crust. On Mars, hydrated silica has been detected in several locations based on remote sensing and rover-based studies. In the present article we report on the detection of cobbles made of hydrated silica (opal or chalcedony), as well as well-crystallized quartz. These detections were made with the SuperCam instrument onboard Perseverance (Mars 2020 mission), using a combination of LIBS, infrared and Raman spectroscopy. Quartz-dominated stones are detected unambiguously for the first time on the Martian surface, and based on grain size and crystallinity are proposed to be of hydrothermal origin. Although these rocks were all found as float, we propose that these detections are part of a common hydrothermal system, and represent different depths / temperatures of precipitation. This attests that hydrothermal processes were active in and around Jezero crater, possibly triggered by the Jezero crater-forming impact. These silica-rich rocks, in particular opaline silica, are very promising targets for sampling and return to Earth given their high biosignature preservation potential.

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Publication Details

Journal
Earth and Planetary Science Letters
Published
2025-02-28
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119256
Citations
14
Primary Topic
Planetary Science and Exploration
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
16.17

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article

From hydrated silica to quartz: Potential hydrothermal precipitates found in Jezero crater, Mars

E. A. Cloutis, Maxime Pineau, E. Dehouck, S. A. Bernard et al.
14 citations
Earth and Planetary Science Letters
Planetary Science and Exploration
16.17
article

From hydrated silica to quartz: Potential hydrothermal precipitates found in Jezero crater, Mars

E. A. Cloutis, Maxime Pineau, E. Dehouck, S. A. Bernard, A. J. Brown, Lucia Mandon, Clément Royer, Juan Manuel Madariaga, O. Beyssac, C. C. Bedford, F. Poulet, Cathy Quantin‐Nataf, Susanne Schröder, Elise Clavé, Thierry Fouchet, N. Mangold, Adrian Broz, Gorka Arana, S. Maurice, C. Pilorget, J. R. Johnson, Raymond Francis, Pierre‐Yves Meslin, S. M. Clegg, W. Rapin, T. S. J. Gabriel, R. C. Wiens, O. Forni, Pierre Beck, A. Cousin, Olivier Gasnault
article en
14 citations

Abstract

• Silica-rich float rocks were discovered by Perseverance. • Quartz, chalcedony and opal were found. • These rocks were part of an ancient hydrothermal system. • If found by the rover, the source deposit is a high-value target for sampling. On Earth, silica-rich phases from opal to quartz are important indicators and tracers of geological processes. Hydrated silica, such as opal, is a particularly good matrix for the preservation of molecular and macroscopic biosignatures. Cherts, a type of silica-dominated rocks, provide a unique archive of ancient terrestrial life while quartz is the emblematic mineral of the Earth's continental crust. On Mars, hydrated silica has been detected in several locations based on remote sensing and rover-based studies. In the present article we report on the detection of cobbles made of hydrated silica (opal or chalcedony), as well as well-crystallized quartz. These detections were made with the SuperCam instrument onboard Perseverance (Mars 2020 mission), using a combination of LIBS, infrared and Raman spectroscopy. Quartz-dominated stones are detected unambiguously for the first time on the Martian surface, and based on grain size and crystallinity are proposed to be of hydrothermal origin. Although these rocks were all found as float, we propose that these detections are part of a common hydrothermal system, and represent different depths / temperatures of precipitation. This attests that hydrothermal processes were active in and around Jezero crater, possibly triggered by the Jezero crater-forming impact. These silica-rich rocks, in particular opaline silica, are very promising targets for sampling and return to Earth given their high biosignature preservation potential.

Earth and Planetary Science LettersVol. 656
Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (FR), École Normale Supérieure de Lyon (FR), California Institute of Technology (US), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Planetary Science Institute (US), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (US), Los Alamos National Laboratory (US), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (FR), University of the Basque Country (ES), Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées (FR), University of Oregon (US), Institut Universitaire de France (FR), Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (FR), Université Paris Cité (FR), Purdue University West Lafayette (US), Université Nantes Angers Le Mans (FR), Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (FR), Université Paris-Saclay (FR), Observatoire de Paris (FR), Plan International (US), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (US), Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR) (DE), Sorbonne Université (FR), Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille (FR), Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale (FR), Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (FR), Astrogeology Science Center (US), Laboratoire d’études spatiales et d’instrumentation en astrophysique (FR), Institut de minéralogie, de physique des matériaux et de cosmochimie (FR), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences (FR), Laboratoire atmosphères, milieux, observations spatiales (FR), Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon : Terre, Planètes et Environnement (FR), Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (FR), LIRA - Laboratoire d'instrumentation et de recherche en astrophysique (FR), Université d'Angers (FR), Université Jean Monnet (FR), The University of Winnipeg (CA), Université Grenoble Alpes (FR), Nantes Université (FR)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, California Institute of Technology, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Université, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Canadian Space Agency, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Openalex Percentile: Top 1%
Planetary Science and Exploration
16.17
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