NASA’s Perseverance Rover Stumbles on Unusual Rock That Looks Like a Skull on Mars, Stun Scientists

Mars exploration has grown exponentially over the past few years. Recently, NASA made a discovery on the Red Planet, which left them stunned, according to Live Science. The Perseverance Rover made the finding. 

The rover has spotted a distinctive rock in a region called Port Anson. This rock has been nicknamed 'Skull Hill' and was chosen for analysis because it stood out against the surrounding rocks. 'Skull Hill' appeared to be dark in color, had an angular shape, and a pitted texture, according to NASA. 

'Skull Hill' was placed amongst rocks that were lighter in tone. Researchers claim that the pits spotted on the 'Skull Hill' were possibly a result of erosion that the clasts on it underwent in the past. Other similar-looking rocks have also been located in the region. These rocks were identified as floats. Researchers believe that floats are rocks that traveled from one area to another on Mars billions of years ago, when the planet had a warmer climate with more moisture, according to Live Science. Experts aim to understand where these rocks came from and how they were transported. 

Several speculations have been put forward by experts regarding these queries, stated NASA. Some believe that 'Skull Hill' could be an igneous rock that got eroded from a nearby outcrop, or was pushed out of an impact crater. To verify the claim, researchers need to ensure that the rock is igneous. On Mars and Earth, such rocks have a high quantity of iron and magnesium. Considering that igneous rocks are formed by the cooling of magma or lava, they could also have dark-colored minerals such as biotite, pyroxene, olivine, and amphibole.

To find whether 'Skull Hill' and rocks like it have these constituents, researchers want to use the equipment already present in the rover, which can measure their subject's chemical composition. After finding their exact composition, researchers can conduct further analysis to figure out the origin of these rocks. 

Another theory proposed by experts is that the rocks could be like the meteorites discovered in the Gale crater by the Curiosity rover. The speculation was made based on the appearance of 'Skull Hill.' The rock's dark color was similar to what was noted on the meteorites. However, the analysis conducted by researchers from the data gathered by SuperCam indicates that rocks similar to 'Skull Hill' do not have a chemical composition that should typically be present in a meteorite. Despite these theories, researchers are still nowhere close to figuring out the origin and history of 'skull rim' and similar rocks. 

'Skull Hill' joins a long list of discoveries made by Perseverance Rover. To date, the rover has gathered samples of five rocks, conducted an in-depth analysis of seven rocks, and done a remote study on 83 samples through lasers. Researchers are hopeful that the expansive examination will aid them in completing a huge objective, figuring out if Mars was ever a viable habitat.