Australian researchers have uncovered the earliest direct evidence of hot water activity on Mars, indicating the planet may have once been hospitable to life.
A study led by Curtin University in Western Australia analyzed a 4.45 billion-year-old zircon grain from the Martian meteorite NWA7034, famously known as “Black Beauty.” Discovered in the Sahara Desert in 2011, this meteorite provided key insights into Mars’ ancient environment.
The zircon grain, a type of mineral, was found to contain geochemical traces of water-rich fluids, suggesting water existed during Mars’ early magmatic processes. Aaron Cavosie, a co-author from Curtin’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, highlighted the significance of this finding. “We used nano-scale geochemistry to detect elemental evidence of hot water on Mars 4.45 billion years ago,” Cavosie explained.
He further noted that this discovery sheds light on Mars’ ancient hydrothermal systems and its potential to support life in the past. “Hydrothermal systems were essential for the development of life on Earth, and our findings suggest Mars also had water, a key ingredient for habitable environments, during the earliest history of crust formation,” he added.
The study also revealed that water persisted on Mars during the Pre-Noachian period, over 4.1 billion years ago, despite significant meteorite impacts that disrupted the planet’s surface.
The research, led by Jack Gillespie, formerly of Curtin University and now at the University of Lausanne, included contributions from the University of Adelaide and opens new possibilities for exploring Mars’ ancient habitability.