Mars Rover accidentally ran over a rock and broke it open — revealing mysterious yellow crystals inside
More life-related signs have emerged from Mars. This time, it has come through an unintentional clash between the Curiosity Rover and a Martian rock in the Gediz Vallis Channel, as reported by Science Alert. The clash led to the rock in question falling apart and revealing several yellow crystals. Researchers speculate that the yellow crystals represent elemental sulfur known as brimstone. Though sulfur has been found before on the planet, this is the first time experts have discovered its pure elemental form. After monitoring the area where the rock with yellow crystals was found, researchers spotted many similar boulders. It caused them to speculate that elemental sulfur may be more abundant on Mars than previously believed.
Surprising Discovery of Brimstone
Curiosity project scientist Ashwin Vasavada of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory was ecstatic about the discovery, likening it to "an oasis in the desert," as reported by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Vasavada claims that elemental sulfur should not be present in the Gediz Vallis Channel, as per past data about the region. Pure sulfur requires certain specific reactions to facilitate. None of the previous models suggests that those reactions happened in the area. It is what makes the finding surprising, as it challenges insights from previous geological models and datasets.
"It shouldn't be there, so now we have to explain it. Discovering strange and unexpected things is what makes planetary exploration so exciting," Vasavada added. Moreover, during the expedition that led to the discovery, the experts were focused only on identifying and analyzing the sulfurous rocks in the Gediz Vallis Channel. If the rock had not cracked open, researchers possibly would not have chosen the boulder for examination and would have missed detecting such an important material. The fortuitous clash happened on May 30, 2024.
Sulfur Connection of Gediz Vallis Channel
In past expeditions of the Gediz Vallis Channel, the rover has detected a large amount of sulfates. Sulfates are essentially salts that contain sulfur, often formed through water evaporation. Once the evaporation is complete, it leaves behind dissolved sulfate minerals. These detections involved sulfur-based minerals, which are sulfur mixed with other materials. But in this particular case, the rock contained pure sulfur. Researchers are still unsure whether the sulfur-based minerals have any relationship with elemental sulfur.
It is one of the many discoveries Curiosity has made while journeying through the Gediz Vallis channel. The channel is a part of Mount Sharp, which has been explored by the rover since 2014. The mount has been chosen because each of its layers represents a different period in Martian history. The rover's objective is to help experts figure out in which period the planet's terrain provided the conditions to support microbial life.
Importance of Sulfur
Experts have long identified sulfur as an essential element for all life. This is because the sulfates it contains are a primary ingredient in the making of two amino acids required by living organisms to make proteins. Their presence, even in pure form, adds to the growing evidence, implying that Mars at one point or could still support life. Researchers would now have to figure out a way to understand how the pure sulfur made its way into the region. They need to make updated and more detailed models than the present ones depicting Mars' geological evolution to resolve this mystery.