Overview
- The Dec. 1 study in Communications Earth & Environment reports that unusually pale rocks analyzed by Perseverance are kaolinite, an aluminum‑rich clay.
- On Earth, kaolinite typically forms through millions of years of low‑temperature leaching in warm, humid settings, implying sustained surface water on early Mars.
- Researchers compared the rover’s spectra and chemistry with reference samples from South Africa and San Diego and found close matches.
- Orbital data indicate larger kaolinite‑bearing outcrops elsewhere in the Jezero region, though the rover has not yet reached those sites.
- The authors see no evidence the fragments were transported, yet the deposits’ extent, age, and precise formation setting remain open questions.