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A BIZARRE white boulder has been spotted on Mars, and scientists are trying to understand where it came from.
Nasa‘s Perseverance Rover caught a glimpse of the peculiar rock in a photo mosaic taken May 27.
Nasa’s Perseverance Rover snapped a photo of a strange white rock inside Jezero Crater on Mars, sparking questions about where it came from[/caption]
Deep into its fourth science campaign, the rover is searching for evidence of mineral deposits inside Jezero Crater that may provide clues about its history.
With auto-navigation leading the way, Perseverance traversed 656 feet to its first stop at Mount Washburn.
It was at this boulder-covered hill that scientists caught a glimpse of rock they’d never seen before.
It was stark white, speckled with darker flecks, and stood some 18 inches wide and 14 inches tall. It also posed a stark contrast to the sea of black boulders surrounding it.
The team dubbed the rock “Atoko Point” after a light-colored cliff in the Grand Canyon.
Brad Garczynski, the co-lead of the current campaign, described the boulders as “a grab bag of geologic gifts brought down from the crater rim and potentially beyond”.
“The diversity of textures and compositions at Mount Washburn was an exciting discovery for the team,” Garczynski said.
“But among all these different rocks, there was one that really caught our attention.”
Analysis revealed Atoko Point was composed of pyroxene and feldspar, two rock-forming minerals commonly found in basalt.
Taking into consideration its size, shape and the arrangement of its crystals, scientists determined the rock was one of a kind.
It is unclear just how Atoko Point came to be. Some scientists theorize its minerals were produced in a layer of magma below the planet’s surface that is possibly exposed now on the crater rim.
Others wonder if the rock had been created outside the crater and was carried there by an ancient current.
The Perseverance team believes Atoko is the first of its kind – but know there’s even more to discover.
The rover departed Mount Washburn and traveled 433 feet north to investigate the geography of a site known as “Tuff Cliff”.
Meet the Perseverance Rover
Get to know Nasa's Perseverance, which has been exploring the Red Planet for three years.
ABOUT PERSEVERANCE
Scientists are interested in understanding historical living conditions on Mars, so Perseverance is searching for signs of ancient microbial life.
The rover is collecting core samples of broken rock and soil for potential pickup by a future mission that would take them back to Earth for examination.
THE LAUNCH
Launched July 30, 2020 – Cape Canaveral, Florida
Landed Feb. 18, 2021 – Jezero Crater, Mars
THE CRATER
Perseverance landed in Jezero Crater, a historical lake that was created when river channels flowed over the crater wall 3.5 billion years ago.
Scientists have observed evidence that water carried clay minerals from the surrounding area into the crater.
If microbial life once existed inside Jezero, their remains might be encased in lakebed or shoreline sediments.
MISSION OBJECTIVE
With Perseverance gathering samples and taking photos along the way, scientists aim to uncover how the region formed and look for signs of past life.
It then proceeded to “Bright Angel,” an area characterized by pale rocky outcrops.
These may represent ancient rock exposed by water erosion or sediments that once filled the river channel.
Perseverance touched down on Mars in February 2021 and has been exploring Jezero since then. Experts believe the crater was once a lake.
The mysterious rock, nicknamed “Atoko Point,” is composed of pyroxene and feldspar, two minerals found in igneous rock[/caption]
Perseverance landed in Jezero Crater in 2021 and has been searching for signs of microbial life ever since[/caption]
The rover’s primary mission is to find signs of ancient life, and it has already gathered two dozen geological samples.
It is currently on the hunt for carbonate and olivine deposits along the crater’s rim.
Carbonates are typically found on the surface of Earth‘s freshwater lakes, forming when carbon dioxide reacts with water.
Scientists hope to gather clues about the historical carbon dioxide levels on Mars, which will allow them to paint a bigger picture about its climate.
Mars facts
Here's what you need to know about the red planet…
- Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun
- It is named after the Roman god of war
- The landmass of Mars is very similar to Earth but due to the difference in gravity you could jump three times higher there than you can here
- Mars is mountainous and hosts the tallest mountain known in the Solar System called Olympus Mons, which is three times higher than Everest
- Mars is considered to be the second most habitable planet after Earth
- It takes the planet 687 Earth days to orbit the Sun
- The planet has a diameter of 4,212 miles, and has an average distance from Earth of 140 million miles
- Martian temperatures can vary wildly, reaching as high as 70F/20C or as low as -225F/-153C
