On Mars, a surprise was hiding in plain sight. A tall mound near the edge of Jezero Crater turned out to be something unexpected – a volcano. For many years, it was just thought to be a regular rocky hill. But now, thanks to the hard work of scientists and some smart robots, it’s been confirmed: this “hill” is actually a real volcano.
A Mountain That Wasn’t Just a Mountain
This discovery was made near the crater where NASA’s Perseverance rover has been exploring since it landed in 2021. Jezero Crater is a wide, dry, dusty bowl on Mars that used to be a lake a very long time ago. It’s full of rocks, dust, and history. But what nobody knew until now was that this lake once sat next to a volcano.
Scientists had a feeling something was special about the mountain called Jezero Mons. It sits right on the edge of the crater. At first glance, it didn’t look like much. But the more the Perseverance rover studied the area, the more signs started to appear.
A Closer Look with Many Eyes
Perseverance wasn’t working alone. It had help from other spacecraft orbiting Mars high above the ground. These included satellites like the Mars Odyssey Orbiter, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. Together with the data sent from Perseverance on the ground, scientists were able to take a closer look at Jezero Mons.
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The team began searching for clues. They looked for the same kinds of features we see in volcanoes here on Earth. That includes certain types of rocks that only form from lava, special shapes in the land, and signs of heat that once came from underground.
Slowly, a clear picture began to form. The rocks that Perseverance was driving over weren’t just any rocks – they were volcanic rocks. That means they were made from lava that cooled down after flowing or exploding out of a volcano. These volcanic rocks were found right on the floor of the crater, not far from Jezero Mons.
Then, using images and measurements from the orbiting spacecraft, scientists discovered that Jezero Mons had all the classic signs of being a volcano. It even had a crater at the top – just like volcanoes on Earth. It didn’t just look like a volcano. It was a volcano.
This volcano isn’t active anymore. It probably hasn’t erupted for a very long time. But it used to be. And that makes it very important for learning about Mars’ past.
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What This Means for Mars Exploration
Mars is a planet full of surprises. Jezero Crater was already known as a very special place because it used to hold water. Water is important because it means the planet may have once had the right conditions for life. Finding a volcano right next to the ancient lake adds a new layer to the story.
On Earth, volcanoes and lakes often sit near each other. When this happens, the heat from the volcano can make the water warm, even in cold places. Warm water can help life survive. So, knowing there was both water and volcanic activity in the same place on Mars could be a big deal for scientists.
Even more exciting is the fact that this volcano was hiding in a place that has already been studied a lot. Jezero Crater has been one of the most explored places on Mars. If a volcano could go unnoticed there, there might be even more volcanoes across Mars that scientists haven’t recognized yet.
Now that they know Jezero Mons is volcanic, scientists can use this new information to better understand the rock samples that Perseverance is collecting. Some of those samples come from lava flows, while others come from sediments left behind by the lake. Together, these pieces of Mars can tell the story of what happened there millions – or even billions – of years ago.
This discovery also helps scientists understand how Mars changed over time. Volcanic activity can tell us about a planet’s inner heat and how its surface was shaped. The fact that Mars had active volcanoes long ago shows it wasn’t always as quiet and cold as it is now.
The volcano at Jezero Crater may have been quiet for a long time, but its story is just starting to be told. And it all began with a lonely rover exploring a dusty crater, rolling over what turned out to be ancient lava – and revealing a hidden volcano, right under our noses.
