Carbonates identified by the Curiosity rover indicate a carbon cycle operated on ancient Mars

Benjamin M Tutolo¹, Elisabeth M Hausrath², Edwin S Kite³, Elizabeth B Rampe⁴, Thomas F Bristow⁵, Robert T Downs⁶, Allan Treiman⁷, Tanya S Peretyazhko⁸, Michael T Thorpe^{9

10

11}, John P Grotzinger¹², Amelie L Roberts¹³, P Douglas Archer⁸, David J Des Marais⁵, David F Blake⁵, David T Vaniman¹⁴, Shaunna M Morrison^{15

16}, Steve Chipera¹⁴, Robert M Hazen¹⁵, Richard V Morris⁴, Valerie M Tu¹⁷, Sarah L Simpson¹⁷, Aditi Pandey⁴, Albert Yen¹⁸, Stephen R Larter¹, Patricia Craig¹⁴, Nicholas Castle¹⁴, Douglas W Ming⁴, Johannes M Meusburger⁵, Abigail A Fraeman¹⁸, David G Burtt¹⁰, Heather B Franz¹⁰, Brad Sutter⁸, Joanna V Clark¹⁷, William Rapin¹⁹, John C Bridges²⁰, Matteo Loche¹⁹, Patrick Gasda²¹, Jens Frydenvang²², Ashwin R Vasavada¹⁸

Affiliations

¹ Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
² Department of Geoscience, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, USA.
³ Department of Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
⁴ Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, USA.
⁵ Exobiology Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA.
⁶ Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
⁷ Lunar and Planetary Institute, Universities Space Research Association, Houston, TX, USA.
⁸ Amentum, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, USA.
⁹ Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
¹⁰ Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Godard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA.
¹¹ Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA.
¹² Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA, Pasadena, CA, USA.
¹³ Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK.
¹⁴ Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ, USA.
¹⁵ Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC, USA.
¹⁶ Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Rutgers University New Brunswick, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
¹⁷ Texas State University-Amentum Johnson Space Center Engineering, Technology, and Science II, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, USA.
¹⁸ Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
¹⁹ Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Centre National d'Études Spatiales, Toulouse, France.
²⁰ Space Park Leicester, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
²¹ Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA.
²² Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen K, Denmark.

PMID: 40245143
DOI: 10.1126/science.ado9966

Carbonates identified by the Curiosity rover indicate a carbon cycle operated on ancient Mars

Benjamin M Tutolo et al. Science. 2025.

. 2025 Apr 18;388(6744):292-297.

doi: 10.1126/science.ado9966. Epub 2025 Apr 17.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Earth, Energy, and Environment, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
² Department of Geoscience, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, USA.
³ Department of Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
⁴ Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, USA.
⁵ Exobiology Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA.
⁶ Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
⁷ Lunar and Planetary Institute, Universities Space Research Association, Houston, TX, USA.
⁸ Amentum, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, USA.
⁹ Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
¹⁰ Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Godard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA.
¹¹ Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science and Technology, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA.
¹² Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA, Pasadena, CA, USA.
¹³ Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK.
¹⁴ Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ, USA.
¹⁵ Earth and Planets Laboratory, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC, USA.
¹⁶ Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Rutgers University New Brunswick, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
¹⁷ Texas State University-Amentum Johnson Space Center Engineering, Technology, and Science II, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, USA.
¹⁸ Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
¹⁹ Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Centre National d'Études Spatiales, Toulouse, France.
²⁰ Space Park Leicester, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
²¹ Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA.
²² Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen K, Denmark.

PMID: 40245143
DOI: 10.1126/science.ado9966

Abstract

Ancient Mars had surface liquid water and a dense carbon dioxide (CO₂)-rich atmosphere. Such an atmosphere would interact with crustal rocks, potentially leaving a mineralogical record of its presence. We analyzed the composition of an 89-meter stratigraphic section of Gale crater, Mars, using data collected by the Curiosity rover. An iron carbonate mineral, siderite, occurs in abundances of 4.8 to 10.5 weight %, colocated with highly water-soluble salts. We infer that the siderite formed in water-limited conditions, driven by water-rock reactions and evaporation. Comparison with orbital data indicates that similar strata (deposited globally) sequestered the equivalent of 2.6 to 36 millibar of atmospheric CO₂. The presence of iron oxyhydroxides in these deposits indicates that a partially closed carbon cycle on ancient Mars returned some previously sequestered CO₂ to the atmosphere.

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Catching a glimpse of ancient Mars.
Bishop JL, Lane MD. Bishop JL, et al. Science. 2025 Apr 18;388(6744):251-252. doi: 10.1126/science.adw4889. Epub 2025 Apr 17. Science. 2025. PMID: 40245152

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Carbonates identified by the Curiosity rover indicate a carbon cycle operated on ancient Mars

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Carbonates identified by the Curiosity rover indicate a carbon cycle operated on ancient Mars

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