NASA Discovers First Evidence of Ruby and Sapphire Gems Embedded in Martian Rocks
Mars has long been known for its dusty terrain and ancient water history—but now it’s offering up something far more unexpected.
NASA’s Perseverance rover recently uncovered tiny, fluorescent mineral grains inside Martian rocks. According to New Scientist, the grains are made of corundum, the same mineral that forms rubies and sapphires on Earth.
That doesn’t mean Mars is littered with glittering gemstones. But it does mark the first confirmed detection of precious-stone material on another planet—and scientists are still working out how it formed.
Tiny Gems Hiding in Plain Sight
The NASA Mars rover made the find near the edge of Jezero Crater, where Perseverance has been exploring since 2021. Researchers identified corundum in three separate rocks along the crater rim.
The first, a small rock dubbed Hampden River, was followed by two additional pebbles named Coffee Cove and Smiths Harbour. Each tested positive for the mineral.
The grains themselves are incredibly small, measuring roughly 0.2 millimeters across, or about 0.008 inches. That’s far too tiny to tell whether they’d look like rubies or sapphires to the naked eye.
Whether or not they look like a ruby or sapphire would come down to the trace metals within the corundum. Unfortunately, scientists were unable to detect trace metals through imaging.
How NASA Perseverance Spotted the Gems
The rover pulled it off using SuperCam technology—a tool that combines lasers and cameras.
One laser zaps the rock to reveal its makeup, while the other makes it glow across different wavelengths. The cameras then capture those light patterns and turn them into data scientists can study.
In the case of Hampden River, those readings closely matched laboratory measurements of rubies on Earth.
Ann Ollila of Los Alamos National Laboratory, who led the research, said the grains emitted a bright glow when analyzed.
“I would love to be able to pick one of those up and analyse it and see if it looks red – it’s pretty disappointing that all you can see is this white pebble,” Ollila added, per New Scientist.
The Big Mystery: Gems on a Tectonically Dead Planet
Here’s where it gets really strange.
On Earth, corundum typically forms deep within the planet under specific geological conditions tied to tectonic activity. Mars no longer has active plate tectonics and only experienced more significant geological activity in its distant past.
“[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,” Ollila said during a presentation at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Texas on March 16, per New Scientist.
So how did it form? Researchers believe meteorite impacts are the most likely explanation. Those high-energy collisions would have generated intense heat and pressure, transforming aluminum-rich surface materials into corundum.
Allan Treiman of the Lunar and Planetary Institute, who was not involved in the study, called the find 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.”
Ollila’s findings were described in two research papers, which can be read here and here.
Mars Never Ceases to Amaze (or Surprise) Us
The discovery could reshape how scientists understand Mars’ geological history. The presence of corundum suggests the planet may have remained chemically and thermally active more recently than previously believed.
It’s just the latest in a string of surprising discoveries. Back in 2023, NASA’s Curiosity rover spotted opal on Mars—a mineral tied to water and, potentially, environments that could support life.
Combined, the discoveries hint at a Mars that was once more dynamic—and maybe even hospitable—than it appears today. Beneath its cold, dusty surface, the planet is still revealing a much richer history.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
