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WHY IS MARS RED?
BBC Science Focus
|September 2025
One of the most recognisable features of Mars is its red colour. Even the naked eye can clearly discern the Red Planet's ruddy hue. Humans have wondered where this red colour comes from for centuries, perhaps millennia.
Previously, it was thought to be due to the presence of hematite (from the Greek word for 'blood'), a dry, iron-oxide mineral also commonly found on Earth. Continuous oxidation and weathering of Martian rocks, under water-poor surface conditions during the so-called 'Amazonian' period (starting 3 billion years ago) could also explain Mars's red colour.
Like hematite, the red colour of rust is also derived from the presence of various oxides and hydroxides of iron.
This story is from the September 2025 edition of BBC Science Focus.
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