Carbon-Bearing Minerals Discovered: Curiosity Rover found carbonate mineral siderite (containing carbon and oxygen) in Martian rocks. This marks the first solid evidence of a carbon cycle on Mars.
Discovery Location: The find was made in an ancient lakebed in the Gale Crater, during exploration of an 89-meter stretch of terrain.
Siderite’s Significance: The rocks contain 5-10% siderite, suggesting a significant amount of Mars’ past CO₂ might be trapped in the crust.
Evidence of a Slow Carbon Cycle: The presence of iron oxyhydroxides indicates siderite may have dissolved in acidic water, releasing some CO₂ back into the atmosphere. This points to a limited and slow carbon cycle.
Curiosity’s Mission: Launched in 2011 as part of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), Curiosity aims to determine if Mars ever had conditions suitable for life, study its climate, and analyze its geology.
Landing Site: Curiosity landed in Gale Crater in 2012, an area believed to have once contained water.
Power Source: The rover runs on a thermoelectric power generator that uses the radioactive decay of plutonium, instead of solar panels.
Objectives: Determine whether life ever existed on Mars, Characterise Mars’ past and present climate, Understand the geology of Mars and Prepare for future human exploration.
