New Discovery Could Explain What Gives Mars its Red Color

2025 · VOA Learning English

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1. Scientists say they might have identified the mineral on Mars that is responsible for making the planet appear red.

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2. New data collected on Mars through several methods suggests the substance, called ferrihydrite, is likely found in dust and rock material

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3. across wide areas of the planet. The team carrying out the research describes ferrihydrite as an “iron oxide mineral.”

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4. The mineral appears reddish in color and can form in water-rich environments.

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5. The scientists said discovering large amounts of it on Mars adds to existing evidence that the planet might have held a large supply of liquid

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6. The research was carried out by an international team led by America’s Brown University and the University of Bern in Switzerland.

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7. The findings recently appeared in a study published in Nature Communications

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8. The researchers noted that scientists have long wondered about the exact substance that gives Mars which is also known as the Red Planet its deep

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9. red color. Past studies had suggested a mineral called hematite might be the cause.

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10. The study is based on Martian data collected by several spacecraft.

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11. These include the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, operated by the American space agency NASA.

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12. In addition, information was captured by instruments aboard the European Space Agency’s (ESA's) Mars Express and Trace Gas orbiters.

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13. Some data also came from exploring vehicles, called rovers, operating on Mars.

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14. In their examinations, the researchers also used manmade, or synthetic, material designed to look and feel similar to real Martian dust.

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15. Adomas Valantinas currently works as a researcher at Brown University’s Department of Earth, Environment Planetary Sciences.

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16. He helped write the study. Valantinas noted the mystery of why Mars is red had been considered “for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.”

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17. Valantinas recognized his team was not the first to consider ferrihydrite as a possible reason for the coloring of Mars.

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18. But he noted, “it has never been proven as we have now, using observational data and novel laboratory methods…” Valantinas noted the

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19. discovery of widespread ferrihydrite suggests Mars once held liquid water that would have made it possible for the planet to support some form of life.

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20. "Our study reveals that ferrihydrite formation on Mars required the presence of both oxygen…and water capable of reacting with iron,” he

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21. added. “These conditions were very different from the dry, cold environment of Mars today."

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22. John Mustard is a planetary expert at Brown University and was a co-writer of the study.

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23. He called it “a door-opening opportunity for future research.

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24. But he added that additional study is needed to confirm the team’s latest findings.

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25. "As exciting as the new findings are, we realize that our results can only be verified by samples from Mars, which are currently being collected by NASA's

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26. Perseverance rover,” Mustard said. He added, “When we get those back, we will be able to check whether our theory about ferrihydrite is correct."

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