Inside Krokodillen: NASA Hunts Signs of Life in Mars’ Oldest Rocks

A look back at Australia's place in space

We are taking a look back at stories from Cosmos Magazine in print. This article appeared in December 2019. Astrobiologist Martin Van Kranendonk took NASA Mars 2020 Program Scientist Mitch Schulte and rover instrument scientists to the vast and precious Pilbara, in WA, to show them how to travel through geological time to spot biology hidden in plain sight. Here are their accounts of what happened next… We’ve been involved in the study of ancien…

The former director of the NASA Ames Center was the first head of the Red Planet Exploration Program in the US and has promoted the participation of private companies in the space sector: "It is possible that today there are live microbes on Mars, in very deep areas with liquid water," he says during the Starmus Festival.

Inside Krokodillen: NASA Hunts Signs of Life in Mars’ Oldest Rocks

NASA’s Perseverance rover has reached a scientifically thrilling region on Mars called Krokodillen, where some of the planet’s oldest rocks may hold vital clues about early Martian environments — possibly even ancient life. Rich in clay, olivine, and carbonate minerals, the site promises insights into the watery past of Mars, especially during the Noachian period. [...]

Perseverance, the Martian rover, recently explored an area called "Krokodillen" by scientists. This area contains some of the oldest rocks on the red planet with a detected presence of clay, but also, potentially, olivine and carbonates.

NASA’s Perseverance Explores Mars' Oldest Rocks in Krokodillen Region

NASA’s Perseverance rover has reached Krokodillen, a 73-acre plateau near Jezero Crater's rim believed to host some of Mars’ oldest rocks. Preliminary data shows signs of clays, carbonates, and olivine minerals, suggesting ancient water activity. Currently examining a site named Copper Cove, the rover is using a new sampling strategy that allows unsealed rock cores to be swapped later for more compelling samples. With biosignatures found elsewhe…