Evidence of an Asteroid Impact 3.9 Billion Years Ago Found on Mars

NASA’s Perseverance rover found ancient rock layers at the edge of Jezero Crater that preserve signs of asteroid impacts from more than 3.9 billion years ago.

Researchers say the Broome Point strata show glassy beads, breccia, and tilted layers, pointing to repeated impacts and later crustal deformation.

The team plans to date the rocks more precisely on Earth after sample return to pin down when the impacts occurred.

These Martian records could help reconstruct the early solar system’s bombardment history and fill gaps in Earth’s lost early geologic record.