NASA’s Perseverance rover has spotted an unusually light-colored rock in Mars’ Jezero Crater, a sight that has never been seen on the Red Planet before. This strange boulder, dubbed “Atoko Point” after a similarly light-colored feature of the Grand Canyon, is “in a league of its own,” standing out amidst the darker boulders in the search area near the crater’s Mount Washburn, according to a NASA statement.
Scientists first noticed the rock in an 18-image sequence captured on May 27th. Atoko Point is estimated to be 18 inches (45 centimeters) wide and 14 inches (35 centimeters) tall. Using the rover’s camera instruments, SuperCam and Mastcam-Z, scientists confirmed the rock’s composition as pyroxene and feldspar.
The team theorizes that the pale rock might have been transported from another part of Mars by an ancient river. Alternatively, it could have formed underground by a body of magma and subsequently exposed through erosion. “The diversity of textures and compositions at Mount Washburn was an exciting discovery for the team, as these rocks represent a grab bag of geologic gifts brought down from the crater rim and potentially beyond,” said of Western Washington University in Bellingham and co-lead of the current science campaign.
While Atoko Point is the first of its kind found on Mars, the researchers believe it likely won’t be the last, as Perseverance continues its mission toward the rim of Jezero Crater.
Perseverance landed on Mars in February 2021, and has been exploring Jezero Crater, a region believed to have once been an ancient lake, ever since. The rover’s primary objective is to search for signs of ancient life, and it has already collected 24 geological samples for future analysis.
The current expedition through Jezero Crater is part of Perseverance’s fourth science campaign, focusing on finding carbonate and olivine minerals along the crater’s rim. On Earth, carbonates are typically found on the shallow surfaces of freshwater lakes, forming when carbon dioxide reacts with water. Analyzing these minerals could provide valuable insights into Mars’ historical climate.
Carbonates also excel at preserving fossils, potentially revealing traces of ancient life, if they existed. Perseverance has recently been navigating from Mount Washburn to reach “[Name of area within the channel]”, a region within the channel, an ancient river that once flowed into Jezero Crater. The team will assess whether to collect a rock core sample during their exploration of this new territory.
