NASA Rover Finds Glowing, Ruby-Like Crystals on Mars for the First Time

Over the past five years, a four-wheeled robot has been exploring the Martian terrain and capturing unusual features such as leopard-like rocks, tangles of stars and textured rock formations that look like popcorn. Now, NASA’s Perseverance rover has found tiny gems that look like rubies.

An international group of researchers has found evidence of precious stones hidden inside Martian pebbles. The gemstone’s grains are made of corundum, a crystalline substance known as a ruby ​​or sapphire. The findings were presented earlier this month at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Texas and suggest Mars may hide other precious minerals in its desert-like terrain.

precious stones

Perseverance recently discovered the rim of the 28-mile-wide (45-kilometer) impact Jezero crater on Mars, which may have once been filled with a deep lake. Near the crater’s rocky rim, the rover found small, light-colored pebbles that looked out of place, meaning they may have gotten there due to impacts or geological activity.

Using the rover’s SuperCam, scientists blasted the rocks with lasers to reveal their chemical composition. Perseverance analysis of the rocks revealed something unexpected: three samples showed signatures of the mineral corundum.

The laser excited the minerals, causing them to emit optical radiation (i.e., light) if they contained luminescent elements. Sure enough, the laser produced luminescent light, indicating the presence of chromium-bearing corundum.

Both sapphires and rubies are gemstone varieties of corundum, sharing the same chemical composition and structure, but each has different trace elements that give them their unique color. Chromium makes rubies red, while iron and titanium give sapphires their color. According to recent findings, pebbles found on Mars contained elements of chromium, making them similar to rubies.

Ruby red

On Earth, rubies form deep within the planet’s crust due to intense heat and pressure. So how did they end up on Mars?

There has been some tectonic activity on the Red Planet in the past, but not enough to produce gemstones. Instead, researchers believe that a meteorite impact on Mars may be the reason behind the rubies, according to New Scientist.

Researchers are also not sure whether Perseverance actually found Martian ruby ​​or some other type of corundum. The gems found on Mars are so small, each about 0.008 inches (0.2 millimeters), that it is difficult for the team to determine their exact chemical composition.

Whether they’re rubies or not, the tiny fluorescent gems are still interesting enough to be included on the list of strangest discoveries on the Red Planet.