NASA's Perseverance Rover Discovers Ruby-Forming Crystals Hidden in Martian Pebbles
Scientists have found the building blocks of rubies and sapphires on Mars for the first time.
NASA’s Perseverance rover detected tiny, fluorescent gem grains embedded inside Martian pebbles near the edge of Jezero Crater — marking the first time precious-stone material has been documented on another planet.
The grains are made of corundum, the same mineral that forms ruby and sapphire on Earth. That doesn’t mean Mars is hiding sparkling jewel deposits beneath its dusty surface. But the find could reshape how scientists understand the planet’s geological past.
How NASA’s Mars Rover Detected Gem Grains
Perseverance made the discovery using its SuperCam instrument — a system equipped with two lasers and cameras.
One laser vaporizes a tiny portion of a rock’s surface to analyze its composition. The other triggers luminescence, causing materials to emit light in ultraviolet, visible or infrared wavelengths. The cameras then capture and analyze those light patterns.
Researchers identified corundum in three separate rocks along the Jezero Crater rim, according to New Scientist.
The first, a small rock dubbed Hampden River, was followed by two additional pebbles named Coffee Cove and Smiths Harbour. In the case of Hampden River, the readings closely matched laboratory measurements of rubies on Earth.
Ann Ollila of Los Alamos National Laboratory, who led the research, presented the findings at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Texas on March 16.
“I would love to be able to pick one of those up and analyze it and see if it looks red – it’s pretty disappointing that all you can see is this white pebble,” Ollila said, per New Scientist.
What Ruby and Sapphire Material Tells Us About Mars
The grains measure roughly 0.2 millimeters across — about 0.008 inches — which is far too small to determine whether they would appear as rubies or sapphires to the naked eye.
On Earth, corundum typically forms deep within the planet under specific geological conditions tied to tectonic activity. Ollila explained the significance during her presentation, per New Scientist.
“[Corundum] usually is associated, on Earth, with tectonism. It’s a very specific environment – you have to have a very silica-poor environment, very aluminium-rich,” she said, per the outlet.
Mars no longer has active plate tectonics. Researchers believe meteorite impacts are the most likely explanation — high-energy collisions that would have generated intense heat and pressure, transforming aluminum-rich surface materials into corundum.
NASA Perseverance’s Find Could Reshape Mars Geology
Allan Treiman of the Lunar and Planetary Institute, who was not involved in the study, called the discovery unexpected.
“I was very surprised,” Treiman said during the conference, per New Scientist. “In retrospect, one might not have been, because there are aluminium-rich outcrops elsewhere on the planet and there are impacts, but I thought it was very shocking to see this.”
The presence of corundum suggests Mars may have remained chemically and thermally active more recently than previously believed. The discovery also adds to a growing list of intriguing mineral finds.
In 2023, NASA’s Curiosity rover identified opal on Mars — a mineral that forms in the presence of water and can point to potentially habitable conditions.
Perseverance has been exploring Jezero Crater since 2021, and each new finding adds to a picture of a planet that was once far more dynamic than the cold, dusty desert visible today.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
