Posted on 06/18/2024 6:32:06 AM PDT by Red Badger
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s rover discovered a mysterious boulder on Mars, CBS News reported Monday.
NASA’s Perseverance rover made a discovery in the Jezero crater on Mars, encountering a mysterious, light-toned boulder that differs from any previously observed Martian rocks. This finding occurred during the rover’s journey through the Neretva Vallis, a dried-up river delta, as it navigated towards a region in the crater’s rim to study sediment deposits, according to CBS News.
The boulder, dubbed Atoko Point, caught the team’s attention with its unique speckled, light-toned appearance amid darker rocks. It was said to be “in a league of its own,” measuring about 18 inches across and 14 inches tall, the outlet reported. The rock’s distinct mineral composition includes pyroxene and feldspar — minerals also found in Earth’s crust and on the moon.
Brad Garczynski, from Western Washington University and co-leader of the Perseverance mission, expressed the team’s excitement over the find, noting that Atoko Point and other rocks in the vicinity likely originated from different parts of Mars and were transported to Mount Washburn, where the rover discovered them, the outlet stated.
Further investigation revealed that the minerals in Atoko Point could have stemmed from underground magma, suggesting a dynamic geological history involving significant volcanic activity and erosion at the Jezero crater’s rim, CBS News reported. This hypothesis is supported by the boulder’s possible displacement via ancient river flows, highlighting the complexity of Martian geology.
The rover’s latest mission at Atoko Point on Mars marks its fourth campaign, aimed at detecting carbonate and olivine deposits. These minerals are essential for uncovering the planet’s past environmental conditions and could contain ancient organic materials, shedding light on the possibility of past life on Mars, according to CBS News.
It may be granite, it may be gneiss. They are both nice rocks but only one is granite. (Old corny geology joke).
“Looks like a chunk of granite. Similar to what they dig out of the ground here in NH.”
That’s exactly my first thought. Can’t really see that well, but it appears to have a granite-like crystal structure. But again, can’t see well enough.
Looks like pink granite that’s used for Surface Plates............
Or
What took you guys so long?..........................
In the picture there are a couple more similar rocks nearby. A pretty sizeable one is at 4 o’clock in relation to the biggest one. There are also what appears to be an outcrop of this material sticking out from the ground a few feet away.
Cue the “Twilight Zo-an” theme song....
‘Face
;o]
It’s a white rock, getting ready to get the black rocks out of the Martian stone age.
Jimmy Hoffa was here
Looks like a pink granite they use to make Surface Plates.................
Jimmy Hoffa IS here....................
I don’t want to go there, should I tell Elon?
Except if you look there are lots of smaller bits of the same color all around
They can pick it up on their next trip...................
Gentrification of the neighborhood!
Here's just a couple out of hundreds:
Plant life qualifies as life, right?
It is laughable. Chuckleheads all. If ever factual it is just insignificant in the totality of time. Keep searching losers.
My God and Savior has already been located.
"Kilroy was here."
Send more Chuck Berry
If not Toba at 79,000 years ago, then Yellowstone at 2.1 million years ago.
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