NASA’s spacecraft Perseverance has reportedly detected a large number of “purple rocks” on the Red Planet.
NASA’s spacecraft Perseverance has reportedly detected a large number of “purple rocks” on the Red Planet.
According to National Geographic, purple marks on the rocks can be seen almost everywhere Perseverance examines.
While the color creates a thin, smooth coating on some stones, it appears as paint-like spots on others.
While these traces were forming, they may have recorded information on environmental conditions, including chemical and mineral structures. This could allow scientists to run simulations of what Mars was like in the past.
In addition, it is known that microscopic creatures previously formed colored traces on rocks on Earth. So it’s also possible that purple rocks provide more direct evidence of life on Mars.
On the other hand, scientists have not yet solved the mystery of these strange rocks.
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“I don’t really have a good answer to give you,” said geochemist Ann Ollila at Los Alamos National Laboratory in an interview on the subject. Ollia presented the research team’s limited data at a conference of the American Geophysical Union last month.
Meanwhile, stunned by the purple rocks, the researchers continue to work to obtain more data.
According to the news of Çağla Üren from Independent Turkish, Nina Lanza, the Space and Planetary Studies team leader at Los Alamos National Laboratory, said, “We have a lot of things to look forward to as we continue the analysis.”
Examining such traces can also provide a better understanding of the environmental conditions on other planets and the internal structure of celestial bodies.
According to Niagara University microbiologist Cassandra Marnocha, these traces are, “How universal are geological processes and how are they changing the planets?” will also answer the question.
Purple rocks on the Red Planet were found billions of years ago in the Jezero crater, which was home to a lake.
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Landing in the crater in February 2021, Perseverance has been exploring the area ever since. According to the researchers, purple glows appear at almost every stop on the traveler’s route.
“Spacecraft in the past have never seen these purple patches,” said Bradley Garczynski, a PhD student at Purdue University.
According to Garczynski, preliminary results from the analyzes showed that the purple part was a softer and chemically different layer than the lower layers of rock. The colored layer is presumed to contain iron oxide.
It also appears that these are rocks rich in hydrogen and, in places, magnesium.
The presence of hydrogen means that water plays a role in the formation of purple spots. Iron oxide also indicates a process similar to the formation of rust on a bicycle left in the rain.
Further research may unlock a wealth of information on the red planet’s “wet” past. Garczynski continues:
“The presence of purple layers may be an important part of the story.”
Odatv.com
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