Mars Exploration News
MARSDAILY
Peculiar Pale Pebbles
illustration only
Peculiar Pale Pebbles
by Alex Jones, PhD student at Imperial College London
Pasadena CA (JPL) Nov 13, 2024

During its recent exploration of the crater rim, Perseverance diverted to explore a strange, scattered field of bright white rocks which sparked the interest of the team scientists.

Perseverance has been climbing up the steep slopes of the Jezero crater rim for over two months now, and ever since approaching the edge of the crater has been spying increasingly diverse and strange-looking rocks.

Back in the Jezero inlet channel, Neretva Vallis, Perseverance spotted a whole host of colourful boulders at Mount Washburn, and more recently the science team and internet alike were mesmerised by Freya Castle - a rock striped like a zebra! The crater rim hasn't finished delivering surprises yet though... Just as we humans were preparing for Halloween back on Earth, a ghostly field of bright white rocks appeared in Perseverance's view, at the base of a mound in the crater rim termed "Mist Park", and sparking a new mystery for the science team to unravel.

On Earth, we find white rocks in a wide array of geologic settings, and that's not surprising given the diverse array of light-toned minerals which can be generated across Earth's various tectonic settings. On Mars however, with its lack of plate tectonics and a basaltic crust dominated by dark minerals like olivine and pyroxene, white rocks are a rare find. The science team planned several observations using Perseverance's remote sensing instruments to assess the composition of these peculiar pebbles, including multispectral imaging with Mastcam-Z and zapping them with Supercam's laser.

Hopefully these observations can shed light on how these white rocks formed all the way up here on the crater rim. Unfortunately, none of the rocks were big enough to safely inspect them up close with Perseverance's robotic arm instruments, but the team are on the lookout for larger blocks or outcrops of this strange lithology as we continue traversing upslope.

Aside from their composition, another mystery is just how these rocks got here. The blocks are all float (float = loose rocks, not in their original location), and scattered over just a few square meters.

Perhaps these could be erosional leftovers of some kind of resistant vein or rock layer, where the softer, surrounding lithologies have eroded away? Or could these blocks have tumbled downslope from a more continuous bedrock exposure of enigmatic white material? Who knows, but Perseverance will be keeping its eyes peeled for more of these bizarre blocks as it continues to summit new heights...

Related Links
Perseverance
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
MARSDAILY
Perseverance surveys its path as it ascends Jezero Crater
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 29, 2024
NASA's Perseverance rover is navigating a challenging climb up Jezero Crater's western slope, aiming to reach the rim by early December. During the ascent, the rover captured a panoramic view of Jezero's interior along with images of its own tracks, left as its wheels encountered slippage on the slope. The image, composed of 44 frames taken on Sept. 27, Perseverance's 1,282nd Martian day, showcases key sites that have marked its exploration journey, such as the landing area, the first sedimentary ... read more

MARSDAILY
Denmark becomes 48th nation to sign Artemis Accords for space exploration

South Pole Safety: NASA seeks innovative Lunar rescue solutions

Sidus Space chosen to build Lunar Data Storage Spacecraft for Lonestar

China tests building Moon base with lunar soil bricks

MARSDAILY
China's commercial space sector expands as firms outline ambitious plans

China prepares Tianzhou 8 for upcoming launch to Tiangong station

Model of Haoloong Space Cargo Shuttle to Be Unveiled at Airshow China

Shenzhou 18 brings back samples for space habitability and materials research

MARSDAILY
Ion dynamics examined as comet 67P awakens from dormancy

NEOWISE concludes mission with re-entry but data continues to fuel discovery

Taurid meteor shower to reach peak visibility

Illuminating ancient origins of 4BN year-old Asteroid Ryugu

MARSDAILY
Uranus moon Miranda may hold a hidden ocean below its surface

NASA and SpaceX Set for Europa Clipper Launch on October 14

NASA probe Europa Clipper lifts off for Jupiter's icy moon

Is life possible on a Jupiter moon? NASA goes to investigate

MARSDAILY
Saturn's moon Titan may have thick insulating methane ice crust up to six miles

MARSDAILY
China launches new set of remote-sensing satellites

Microplastics influence cloud formation, potentially shaping weather and climate

UChicago scientist crafts new model to enhance forecasting of atmospheric rivers

Satellite imagery offers a way to shield coastal forests from climate impacts

MARSDAILY
Big Bang: Trump and Musk could redefine US space strategy

Metakosmos introduces Kernel360 platform to advance human spaceflight capabilities

NASA's California-based Jet Propulsion Lab cuts 325 jobs after 500 in early round

Trump's approach to space policy could throw up some surprises, especially with Elon Musk on board

MARSDAILY
Scientists build spectral library to identify water on exoplanets

A new model estimates odds of intelligent life across universes

On the origin of life and the formation of cell membranes

Optimal Learning Rates Revealed in New Study on Adaptation

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.