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Perseverance’s latest Mars expedition led to the discovery of a striking black-and-white striped rock dubbed “Freya’s Castle,” creating a stir among scientists and online communities. As the rover
Perseverance’s latest Mars expedition led to the discovery of a striking black-and-white striped rock dubbed “Freya’s Castle,” creating a stir among scientists and online communities.
As the rover climbs the steep slopes of the crater rim, it continues to reveal geological formations, including potential ancient rocks uplifted by past impacts. These findings promise to unravel the mysteries of Mars’ history.
Last week, Perseverance stunned both the scientific team and the internet when it spotted a never-before-seen black-and-white striped rock on Mars. Is this a sign of unforgettable discoveries to come?
It’s been nearly a month since the rover began climbing the steep slopes to the crater rim in search of ancient rocks that could teach us about the early history of Mars. While the steep slopes initially made for a slow climb, progress has picked up significantly in recent days as Perseverance has traversed the flatter section. From this vantage point, the rover can now spot landmarks from earlier in the mission, such as the famous Kodiak on the hazy horizon, covered in dust from nearby dust storms.
While driving over the unremarkable gravel terrain, the beady-eyed crew members spotted a cobblestone with unusual textured tones in the distance on low-resolution Navcam images and dubbed it “Freya’s Castle.” Before leaving, the crew planned a multispectral observation using the Mastcam-Z camera to get a closer look.
When this data was transmitted a few days later, after Perseverance had left the area, it became clear just how unusual it was! ‘Freya’s Castle’ is about 20cm in diameter and has a vibrant pattern of alternating black and white stripes. The internet was immediately abuzz with speculation about what this ‘zebra rock’ could be, and we’d love to hear your theories!
The team of scientists believes that this rock has a different texture than previous craters in the Lake, and probably all of Mars. Our knowledge of its chemical composition is limited, but initial interpretations suggest that igneous and/or metamorphic processes may have created these bands.
Because Frey’s Keep is a loose rock that is clearly different from the parent rock, it likely rolled down from somewhere else, perhaps from a source above. We are excited by this possibility and hope that Perseverance will encounter an outcrop of this new rock type as it continues uphill, allowing for more detailed measurements.
“Freya’s Castle” is the latest in a series of intriguing rocks to be discovered recently; since arriving near the crater rim, the team has noticed an increase in the variety of rocks, such as the diverse collection of rocks on Mount Washburn. Could this be our first glimpse of ancient rocks, now exposed on the crater rim, that rose from the depths as the Lake impinged? Only time will tell…
Source: Port Altele
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