Mars’ faded surface is made up of craters, canyons, and mysterious formations that hint at a complex geological past. Recently, scientists have explored an interesting feature that may shed light on the planet’s elusive history.
According to a new study, a mountain rising on the edge of the Jezero crater on Mars may be a volcano hiding in plain sight. According to the researchers, this peak, called Jezero Mons, could provide new insights into the geological history of the Red Planet and the potential for ancient Martian life.
The results of the study, published in May in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, confirm long-standing suspicions that Jezero Mons is volcanic. Using data from three Mars rovers and NASA‘s Perseverance rover, the researchers found striking similarities between this mountain and explosive volcanoes previously discovered on Mars and Earth.
“Jezero Crater is one of the most studied objects on Mars. If we’re just now discovering a volcano here, imagine how many there might be on Mars,” said author James Ray, a professor of astrogeology and remote sensing at the Georgia Institute of Technology, in a university statement. “Volcanoes may be even more common on Mars than we thought.”
Ray had guessed that Jezero Mons was a volcano since he first saw it in 2007. “I was looking at low-resolution photos of the area and noticed a mountain on the edge of the crater,” he recalls in a statement. “It looked like a volcano to me, but it was difficult to get additional images.” At the time, scientists had only recently discovered the Jezero crater. After scientists determined that it was likely an ancient lakebed, imaging efforts focused on its water history on the side opposite of Jezero Mons.
Then, shortly after NASA’s Perseverance rover landed in the crater in 2021, a breakthrough was made. This rover is collecting samples from the Martian surface to help in the search for past life, study the planet’s climate and geology, and pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet. Soon, data obtained by Perseverance showed that the crater floor was not sedimentary, as one would expect from a previously flooded area. In fact, it consisted of volcanic rock.
Wray wondered if this igneous rock could have originated from Lake Mons. He teamed up with the paper’s lead author, Sarah Cuevas-Cunyones, a Brown University graduate student who was working with Wray at the time as part of an undergraduate summer research program, to try to answer this question.
According to Wray, Cuevas-Cunyones and their colleagues used a combination of data from the Mars Odyssey Orbiter, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, and the Perseverance rover to “solve this mystery.” This wealth of data allowed the researchers to better understand the characteristics of Jezero Mons and compare it to other known volcanoes.
They found that the size and shape of this peak is similar to Martian volcanoes such as Zephyriah and Apollinaris Tholi, as well as Mount Sidley in Antarctica. Moreover, the researchers determined that there are no impact craters on the surface of Jezero Mons and it does not retain heat well – two signs that it may be covered with volcanic ash. Parts of the northwestern flank of the summit also resembled the edges of past lava flows that appear to reach the crater floor, which may explain why Perseverance found igneous rock there.
While this is not definitive proof that Geyser Mons is a volcano, it is some of the strongest evidence experts have to date. These findings mark an intriguing development in the search for life in the crater of Jezero. A volcano located so close to this ancient lake could have generated hydrothermal activity, a source of energy that could have supported past life.
The researchers are now waiting for samples to be returned from Perseverance. Radioisotope dating can determine the exact age of the rocks collected by the rover, which, according to the researchers, can be used to more accurately estimate the age of Jezero Crater. This will provide valuable information about the geological history of the Red Planet.
Currently, NASA and its international partners do not have a clear plan to return this collection of rocks and dust to Earth, but the agency is considering two Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission strategies to reaffirm the program in 2026. However, President Donald Trump’s 2026 budget proposal threatens to derail the program. If passed by Congress, the budget would terminate the MSR mission on the grounds that it is “significantly over budget” and its goals can be achieved through human missions to Mars.
Ray hopes that one way or another he will be able to retrieve the findings of Perseverance. “If these samples are returned to Earth, we can make incredible, revolutionary scientific discoveries with them,” he said.
