This Would possibly Be the Weirdest Rock Ever Discovered on Mars

Perseverance has seen a number of groundbreaking issues because it landed on Mars in February 2021, and now we will add another discovery to the checklist: a very bizarre rock.

On September 13, NASA’s rover continued its journey by the Jezero Crater, a area thought to have as soon as been full of water. Because it slowly made its method by a flat, pebbly stretch of floor, its cameras noticed the unusual rock. The stone is unquestionably a standout, with its white shade contrasting sharply with Mars’ purple grime. What makes it even odder are the black stripes that cowl a lot of its floor.

The NASA Perseverance staff nicknamed the rock Freya Citadel, after the well-known summit within the Grand Canyon. Earth’s Freya Citadel, nonetheless, is much bigger than the one on Mars. The Freya Citadel in Arizona measures 3,400 ft (1,000 meters) in peak, whereas its Martian brethren is a mere eight inches (20 centimeters) throughout. Some folks on-line gave it the extra apparent nickname “zebra rock,” as NASA identified.

On Threads, folks began tossing round theories. One person stated the rock appeared to have undergone metamorphism, the place excessive warmth and stress can change one sort of rock into one other. Because it seems, that idea would possibly really be appropriate. In a statement, NASA acknowledged that its data of the rock’s composition is “restricted,” but it surely seems the rock’s hanging sample might be igneous and/or metamorphic in origin.

As Freya Citadel is totally totally different from the encircling bedrock, NASA stated it virtually undoubtedly obtained there by rolling downhill. Fortunately, Perseverance is slowly climbing the crater rim, so discovering different, related stones is a risk.

Sadly, it’s unlikely the zebra rock will ever be introduced again to Earth for evaluation. Whereas NASA nonetheless hopes to in the future acquire Perseverance’s collected rock and soil samples, the zebra rock is just too huge for the robotic to lug round. The Mars Pattern Return mission has run into logistical issues. In April, NASA requested for assist in revising the mission plan as the prices and complexity have been deemed too excessive.

An oddly patterned, zebra-like rock could not sound like a lot to get enthusiastic about, particularly given the magnitude of earlier photographs Perseverance has despatched again to Earth. In July, as an example, the rover discovered a rock patterned after a different African animal. The “leopard spots” within the rock might be proof of microbial life in some unspecified time in the future in Mars’ previous. The zebra rock could pale in comparison with potential aliens, but it surely’s nonetheless fairly sufficient to generate its personal fan art. Guess you would say Freya Citadel has change into an actual rock star.