China’s Mars Rover Finds Strange Crystals That May Preserve Ancient Water From The Red Planet

China’s Zhurong rover has identified unusual gypsum crystals on Mars that may contain microscopic traces of ancient brine, offering a new window into the planet’s long-lost water history. A Martian Crystal Discovery Reveals An Ancient Water EnvironmentThe discovery emerged from images captured by the Zhurong rover during its exploration of the northern plains of Mars. NASA’s Opportunity rover detected gypsum inside mineral veins, while Curiosity and Perseverance have studied sulfate materials in other geological settings. Comparison between Martian mineral formations observed by China’s Zhurong rover (top row) and terrestrial selenite gypsum crystals (bottom row). On Earth, large selenite gypsum crystals often contain fluid inclusions, tiny pockets of liquid trapped during crystal formation.