Each of these left behind a unique set of minerals, hinting at shifting environmental conditions that could, at times, have supported microbial life. A Rich Mineral Archive Beneath A Dusty SurfaceWhile Mars today is a dry and hostile planet, its past appears far more complex. Using data from Perseverance’s Planetary Instrument for X-ray Lithochemistry (PIXL), scientists detected 24 different minerals within Jezero Crater. According to Moreland:“The minerals we find in Jezero using MIST support multiple, temporally distinct episodes of fluid alteration.”Western Jezero crater mapped in color by HiRISE, with rover traverse highlighted. Perseverance detected minerals like greenalite, hisingerite, and ferroaluminoceladonite in the crater floor—each of which forms in hot, acidic conditions.