A striped rock that appears misplaced in its environment on the slopes of the internal wall of Jezero crater has scientists enthusiastic about what it could reveal in regards to the Crimson Planet’s historical past.
NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover noticed the striped rock, and the rover’s preliminary measurements recommend it could possibly be volcanic in origin. The rock, which has been nicknamed ‘Freya Fort,’ might originate from an outcropping of extra of this unusual materials additional up the slopes of Jezero.
Freya Fort seems to be fairly in contrast to any rock seen on Mars earlier than. However Perseverance couldn’t stick round at Freya Fort to look at it for lengthy earlier than persevering with its journey up the internal wall of the mighty Jezero crater, the inside of which the rover has been exploring since touchdown on Mars in February 2021.
Perseverance noticed the rock and imaged it whereas taking measurements with its Mastcam-Z instrument on Sept. 13, 2024 (sol 1,268 of the mission; a sol is a Martian day, which is 37 minutes longer than a day on Earth). Mastcam-Z serves as the first “eyes” of Perseverance, offering high-resolution stereo and zoom capabilities.
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Nevertheless, MastCam-Z’s multispectral observations of Freya Fort, which is simply 7.9 inches (20cm) throughout, have already offered important clues as to the rock’s origin.
“Our data of its chemical composition is proscribed, however early interpretations are that igneous and/or metamorphic processes might have created its stripes,” wrote Athanasios Klidaras, who’s a PhD pupil in planetary science at Purdue College, in a press release on NASA’s Science web site.
Whereas a volcanic or metamorphic (whereby one sort of rock is reworked into one other, normally underneath extra temperature and/or stress) origin might clarify its stripes, it does not clarify how Freya Fort arrived at the place Perseverance discovered it, standing out like a sore thumb towards all the opposite nondescript pebbles and rocks. One risk is that it rolled down from an outcropping of comparable rock increased up the slopes.
“The chance has us excited, and we hope that as we proceed to drive uphill, Perseverance will encounter an outcrop of this new rock sort in order that extra detailed measurements could be acquired,” wrote Klidaras.
Discovering unusual rocks on the slope of the crater’s internal wall shouldn’t be surprising; mission scientists had been hoping for as a lot. Up to now they haven’t been upset.
In addition to Freya Fort, in Might 2024 Perseverance got here throughout a boulder discipline nicknamed Mount Washburn. Many of the rocks appeared darkish, typical of many different comparable rocks discovered on Mars, however one rock in the midst of the boulder discipline was completely different.
Showing brilliant with a speckled texture, the rock was nicknamed Atoko Level and measured 18 inches by 14 inches (45cm by 35 cm). Mastcam-Z and the rover’s SuperCam, which fires a laser at a goal rock to vaporize a few of its outer materials so spectroscopic devices in SuperCam can analyze its composition by learning the ensuing plasma from a distance, realized that Atoko Level consists of pyroxene and feldspar. Each supplies are generally present in volcanic and metamorphic rocks on Earth. Atoko Level additionally most likely originated elsewhere additional up-slope, and mission scientists look forward to finding many different odd rocks which have rolled down the Martian hills, maybe after weathering off from massive outcroppings.
The rock discoveries are coming as a part of Perseverance’s fourth science marketing campaign, which is primarily devoted to looking for proof of carbonate and olivine deposits in what mission scientists are referring to because the ‘Margin Unit’ — the large geological unit that types the internal wall of the 28-mile-wide (45km) Jezero crater.
Carbonate rock comparable to limestone ought to have fashioned in Mars’ historical previous when it was hotter and wetter, however up to now carbonate rocks have been few and much between in our exploration of the Crimson Planet. Olivine is a extra frequent mineral on Mars, and is related to water on the floor previously. By climbing up the crater partitions, the hope is that Perseverance will likelihood upon outcroppings of those treasured rock varieties which were unearthed within the mighty influence that fashioned Jezero 3 to three.7 billion years in the past.
