New findings from NASA’s Perseverance rover suggest that ancient volcanic activity on Mars may have created conditions capable of supporting life. A team led by Texas A&M researcher Michael Tice has identified volcanic rock types that mirror Earth’s dynamic geological processes, raising fresh questions about the planet’s habitability in the distant past.
Perseverance Reveals Complex Volcanic History
Since 2021, NASA’s Perseverance rover has been exploring the Jezero Crater, a site long suspected of having hosted a lake billions of years ago. Acting as a mobile geochemical laboratory, the rover has enabled researchers like Michael Tice and his international colleagues to analyze the mineral composition of Martian rocks in unprecedented detail.
Two specific rock types uncovered — one dark and rich in iron, magnesium, pyroxene and plagioclase feldspar, and another light-toned trachyandesite with plagioclase crystals and potassium.
Using thermodynamic modeling to simulate the formation of these minerals, the study, published in Science Advances on January 24, 2025, identified signatures of processes typically associated with active volcanic systems on Earth. “The processes we see here — fractional crystallization and crustal assimilation — happen in active volcanic systems on Earth,” Tice explained.
The Fiery Roots Of Possible Life On Mars
The prolonged volcanic activity indicated by these rock types suggests that parts of Mars could have had a sustained chemical environment, potentially supplying energy and nutrients to microbial life. This aligns with long-standing theories that hydrothermal systems, powered by volcanoes, could have acted as biological incubators.
Tice noted,”It suggests that this part of Mars may have had prolonged volcanic activity, which in turn could have provided a sustained source for different compounds used by life.” If these compounds indeed existed in stable environments, Mars might have supported primitive ecosystems in its ancient past.
Why Sample Return Matters?
Despite Perseverance’s capabilities, in-situ analysis has limitations. More advanced instruments on Earth will be essential to decode the finer chemical and isotopic details hidden in the Martian rocks. That’s why the upcoming Mars Sample Return mission, currently under development by NASA, is considered a top priority by planetary scientists.
“We’ve carefully selected these rocks because they contain clues to Mars’ past environments,” said Tice. “When we get them back to Earth and can analyze them with laboratory instruments, we’ll be able to ask much more detailed questions about their history and potential biological signatures.”
The samples could help determine whether ancient Mars had the necessary conditions — not just water and heat, but also chemical gradients — that make microbial life possible.
Where Martian Science Goes From Here
These new findings expand the focus of astrobiological research beyond dry lake beds and river deltas to include volcanically active zones, which may have been just as critical to Mars’ biological potential.
With Perseverance continuing its mission and more ambitious plans underway — including human exploration in the coming decades — the planet’s volcanic past is set to play a larger role in shaping exploration priorities.