We Finally Know Why Mars Is Red — Scientists Have Just Uncovered A Game-Changing Discovery

How a mineral found in Kachchh could help date events on Mars

Research Matters Staff Writer(s) Ahmedabad 20 May 2025 Audio file The Perseverance rover is exploring Jezero Crater on Mars, searching for signs of ancient life and collecting samples that might one day be brought back to Earth. One of the big questions scientists are trying to answer is: when did key events happen on Mars? When was there water? When did volcanoes erupt or wind blow sediment around? Right now, dating events on Mars often rely o…

We Finally Know Why Mars is Red — Scientists Have Just Uncovered A Game-changing Discovery

For decades, scientists believed that Mars’s famous red hue came mainly from hematite, a dry iron oxide mineral. However, a recent study challenges this long-held view and points to a different mineral as the key to understanding Mars’s rusty surface color. This new discovery not only sheds light on why Mars looks the way it does, but also suggests the Red Planet may have once been much wetter and colder than previously thought. What Is Ferrihyd…