NASA’s Perseverance Rover Finds Ruby-Like Mineral on Mars

In 2025, NASA’s Perseverance rover used its SuperCam laser-induced time-resolved luminescence (TRL) spectrometer to analyze three pale, plagioclase-rich float rocks—named Hampden River, Coffee Cove, and Smiths Harbour—along the rim of Jezero Crater. The instrument detected spectral signatures consistent with chromium-bearing corundum, the crystalline aluminum oxide that forms rubies and sapphires on Earth. All three rocks showed luminescence peaks at 692.7 nm and 694.1 nm, and the glow from the Smiths Harbour sample persisted for about three milliseconds, matching terrestrial corundum behavior.

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Corundum typically forms in environments enriched in aluminum and depleted in silicon, under high temperatures or within tectonic settings. Mars’ surface is dominated by silicate minerals such as plagioclase, which normally sequester aluminum, making the presence of corundum unexpected. The three detections occurred in separate float rocks, indicating that the mineral is not confined to a single outcrop.

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Researchers led by geochemist Ann Ollila of Los Alamos National Laboratory propose that the colossal impact that created Jezero Crater billions of years ago generated the necessary heat and pressure to produce corundum, analogous to impact-altered rocks on Earth and the Moon. They also suggest that post-impact hydrothermal fluids may have altered the chemistry, creating aluminum-rich, silicon-poor conditions favorable to corundum crystallization. Alternative scenarios, such as magmatic processes, remain possible but are less favored.

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The discovery provides a new window into Mars’ geologic history, hinting at high-energy processes and fluid activity in Jezero’s past. Ollila’s team emphasizes that obtaining a core sample from the original outcrop—and returning it to Earth—would allow more detailed analyses to resolve the mineral’s origin. This argument bolsters calls to revive the Mars Sample Return mission, which aims to bring Martian material back for comprehensive laboratory study.

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