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A dark and angular shape has caught NASA’s attention after being detected by the Rover Perseverance in the Jezero crater, a strategic enclave to rebuild the Mars Geological History. Apparently, their appearance and location do not agree with the environment.
The finding took place in an area called ‘Port Anson’, at the foot of ‘Witch Hazel Hill’, where scientists had identified from orbit a Border between clear and dark materials. It was there that several rocks appeared out of context, known as float rocks (“floating rocks”), which would have been dragged from other parts of the planet.
Among those fragments, one stood out for its form and hue: Skull Hill (“Calavera hill”, in Spanish). This rock, with visible cavities and tiny spheres embedded in the regolitoa possible meteorite seemed at first glance, similar to those detected in the Gale crater by the Curiosity mission.
However, the first composition analysis carried out by the instruments of the Rover (especially the SUPERCAM System) They have ruled out that hypothesis. The iron and nickel content does not correspond to that of known meteorites, so the team now studies other possibilities.
The volcanic hypothesis gains ground
Experts point out that Skull Hill It could be An igneous rockformed by magma cooling and subsequently displaced by an impact or erosion. These types of formations can contain dark minerals such as olivine, pyroxen, biotite or amphotol, common both on Earth and Mars.
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“This rock contrasts with the environment and could give us clues about remote geological processes,” said Margaret Deahn, Doctor of the University of Purdue. “His dark hue and the visible grains in the regolito They are valuable indications”, Added the researcher in an official entry of the US agency.
NASA has confirmed that it will continue to analyze this and other similar fragments to rebuild its possible tour. Each sample, especially if it’s out of placeyou can show information about the volcanic and impact processes that Mars have shaped over millions of years.
