Exciting findings from the Neretva Canyon—a prehistoric river channel that once flowed to Mars’ Jezero Crater—uncover significant concentrations of nickel in 3 billion-year-old sediments. These patterns mirror mineral formations found on Earth, often linked to microbial activity.
Nickel detected in bright magnesium sulfate veins in Jezero Crater on Mars, supporting its genuine origin. Image credit: Manelski et al., doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-70081-3.
“The Perseverance rover landed in Mars’ Jezero Crater in February 2021 aimed at exploring ancient habitable environments and collecting core samples for future return to Earth during a planned Mars sample return mission,” stated Dr. Henry Manerski from Purdue University and his research team.
“Jezero is a Noachian impact crater, approximately 45 km in diameter, dating back 3.8 to 4 billion years, that once housed a lake, as supported by its two inlet valleys, delta fan formations, and an outlet valley on the eastern side.”
“Since its landing, Perseverance has traversed the igneous crater floor, ascended western alluvial fan deposits, crossed olivine- and carbonate-rich margins, and entered the western inlet valley known as the Neretva Valley.”
In their comprehensive study, Dr. Manerski and colleagues employed lasers, infrared spectrometers, and X-ray spectrometers onboard Perseverance to analyze 126 sedimentary rock samples and eight rock surfaces in the Neretva Valley.
They discovered nickel in 32 rocks at concentrations reaching up to 1.1% by weight, marking the highest level ever recorded in Martian rock.
The team noted that nickel tends to occur alongside iron sulfide compounds and sulfate minerals resulting from the breakdown of rocks such as jarosite and acanite.
Researchers drew parallels between the nickel-rich iron sulfide arrangements found in the Neretva Valley and the composition and structure of pyrite, an iron sulfide mineral observed in sedimentary rocks worldwide.
Iron sulfide found in Earth’s sedimentary rocks is predominantly produced by the anaerobic respiration of microorganisms that utilize sulfate in the presence of iron-rich minerals.
Previous investigations identified iron sulfide in the Neretva Valley, coinciding with organic carbon compounds and suggested these may have originated from biological sources.
“Although, such formations can also arise from non-biological processes,” the scientists noted.
“Our current research hasn’t provided evidence of any organisms being present.”
“Nickel is a vital element in the enzymes of many ancient archaeal and bacterial species, playing crucial roles in energy production, carbon fixation, and organic matter decomposition.”
“The identification of nickel-rich rocks implies that if life existed on early Mars, nickel was potentially available in forms usable by these organisms.”
“The nickel may stem from the breakdown of igneous rocks or from nickel-rich meteorites.”
“More research is essential to pinpoint the source of nickel in the Neretva Gorge and to examine its relationship with organic matter at this location.”
Results from this study were published in this week’s issue of Nature Communications.
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HT Manerski et al. 2026. Strong nickel enrichment coexists with redox and organic interactions in Neretva Canyon on Mars. Nat Commun 17, 2705; doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-70081-3
Source: www.sci.news
