NASA discovers the primary coloured rock on Mars

CNN Indonesia

Monday, 24 June 2024 13:17 IWST

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —

Endurance rover robotic NASA discover coloured stones in Jezero Crater, Planet Mars. That is the primary discovery of coloured stones, after years of exploring Mars now we have by no means discovered any coloured stones.

Based on the researchers, the rock might reveal new details about the historical past of Mars. The rock, nicknamed “Atoko Level”, is taken from a colourful function of the Grand Canyon.

Researchers stated the rock seemed “notably distinguished” among the many darkish rocks surrounding the research space close to the Mount Washburn crater. Scientists caught a glimpse of the rock as a part of a mosaic of 18 photos taken on Might 27.

Atoko Level is estimated to be 45 cm broad and 35 cm excessive. Utilizing the rover’s digicam devices, SuperCam and Mastcam-Z, scientists confirmed that the rocks had been product of pyroxene and feldspar.

The group speculates that the pale rocks might have been transported from different elements of the planet by way of historic rivers, or had been fashioned underground by magma our bodies earlier than being uncovered by way of erosion.

“The range of textures and compositions at Mount Washburn was an thrilling discovery for the group, as these rocks symbolize a group of geological sources introduced down from the rim of the crater and probably past gone,” stated Brad Garczynski of Western Washington College in Bellingham, who was additionally one of many leaders of this research, in a press release, cited Dwelling scienceMonday (24/6).

The researchers stated that though Atoko is the primary coloured rock seen on Mars, it can virtually definitely be the final. The reason being that perseverance continues to be persevering with its mission in direction of the sting of Jezero Crater.

Perseverance landed on Mars in February 2021, and since then has been exploring Jezero Crater, an space thought to have as soon as been an historic lake. The rover’s essential mission is to search out indicators of historic life, and it has collected 24 geological samples for evaluation.

The present journey by way of Jezero Crater is a part of Perseverance’s fourth exploration to search out carbonate and olivine minerals alongside the crater rim. On Earth, carbonates are normally discovered on the shallow floor of freshwater lakes, forming when carbon dioxide reacts with water.

By analyzing these minerals, scientists can acquire perception into Mars’ previous carbon dioxide ranges, an vital indicator of its historic local weather. Carbonates are additionally glorious minerals for preserving fossils, which present indicators of historic life, if any.

Just lately, Perseverance has departed from Mount Washburn to succeed in “Brilliant Angel”, an space throughout the channel of the Neretva Vallis, an historic river that when flowed into Jezero Crater.

The group will resolve whether or not to take rock core samples whereas exploring the brand new space.

(tim/dmi)