manganese oxide, mars, nasa, new discoveries, oxygen

No Oxygen Required to Make These Minerals on Mars

When NASA’s Mars rovers found manganese oxides in rocks in the Gale and Endeavor craters in 2014, the discovery sparked speculation from scientists. Some scientists suggested that the red planet might have once had more oxygen in its atmosphere billions of years ago. The minerals probably required abundant water and strongly oxidizing conditions to form, ...

Troy Oakes

Curiosity's selfie image on Mars.