Accident reveals ‘stunning’ sulfur crystals on Mars, KNEWS

NASA’s Curiosity rover has made its most unusual discovery on Mars: rock made of pure sulfur. According to a report on CNN, this discovery began when the rover accidentally drove over a rock, breaking it open and exposing yellowish-green crystals.

“I think it’s the strangest find of the entire mission and the most unexpected,” said Ashwin Vasavada, Curiosity project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). “I have to say, there’s a lot of luck involved here. Not every rock has something interesting inside.”

The Curiosity team was studying the Gediz Vallis Channel, a winding channel on Mount Sharp that is thought to have been formed by water and debris 3 billion years ago. The rover, which has been climbing Mount Sharp since 2014, was maneuvered into position to capture a mosaic of the surrounding landscape.

On May 30, the team noticed a crushed rock in the rover’s tire tracks. Closer inspection revealed the “stunning” find of pure sulfur crystals, Vasavada said.

Curiosity has previously discovered sulfates on Mars, such as gypsum, but it was not expecting to find pure sulfur. Sulfur rocks usually have a translucent, crystalline texture, but weathering on Mars obscured this, causing the rock to blend in with the planet’s orange hues.

The discovery of pure sulfur rocks is significant because pure sulfur on Earth is typically found in hydrothermal environments such as Yellowstone. This raises questions about the geological history of Mars.

Curiosity’s ongoing mission is to determine whether Mars ever had habitable environments. Since landing in 2012, the rover has climbed 2,600 feet up Mount Sharp and studied its layers, which reveal Mars’ wet and dry seasons. The Gediz Vallis channel, with its mix of rounded river rocks and angular debris from landslides, reflects a history of violent water flows and landslides.

While the exact process by which the sulfur rocks form is still unclear, the team continues to analyze Curiosity’s data. Despite 12 years of operation and various mechanical challenges, Curiosity remains in good condition and continues its journey to unravel Mars’ geological mysteries.

“We’re trying to make the most of it, and we have this landing site that’s so wonderful,” Vasavada said. “I’m glad we decided to do something that represents 12 years of scientific work.”

(Source: CNN)