NASA’s Perseverance Rover Uncovers Oldest Rocks Ever Found On Mars – The Daily Galaxy –Great Discoveries Channel

NASA’s Perseverance rover has stumbled upon something unexpected—ancient rocks unlike any seen before on Mars. Could these formations hold secrets about the planet’s distant past and its potential to support life?NASA’s Perseverance rover has made an exciting discovery on Mars, identifying new types of ancient rocks that could be the oldest ever found on the planet. The rover, which has been exploring the Jezero Crater, recently doubled back on its path multiple times to further investigate these intriguing formations. Scientists believe that these rocks hold valuable clues about the planet’s geologic past and may provide further evidence of past habitable environments on the Red Planet.Perseverance has been on a Crater Rim Campaign, a mission designed to study ancient uplifted rock formations to better understand the geologic history of Mars. The campaign aims to explore whether the region once supported liquid water and, potentially, microbial life billions of years ago.As the rover moved across the terrain, it found multiple previously unseen rock types, prompting researchers to redirect the mission and revisit specific locations for further sampling. Each outcrop Perseverance has analyzed so far has been unique, indicating a complex and diverse geological history in this part of Jezero Crater.One of the most exciting discoveries came when Perseverance investigated a rock it nicknamed “Serpentine Lake”. Using its SHERLOC instrument—designed to detect organic compounds and minerals altered by water—the rover found an unusually high concentration of serpentine.Serpentine is a mineral that forms through interactions with water, often in hydrothermal environments. This suggests that Mars may have had long-lasting water activity in this area—possibly under conditions that could have supported life. The rock’s texture, described by scientists as resembling cookies and cream, further hints at a complex geological history.NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover captured this image of the intriguing texture of the rock sample dubbed “Serpentine Lake.”While Perseverance excels at identifying interesting rocks, actually collecting them is another challenge. When the rover attempted to extract a core sample from “Cat Arm Reservoir“, another intriguing rock, the material crumbled into a fine powder instead of remaining intact in the sample tube.This is not the first time Perseverance has encountered such difficulties. Some Martian rocks are so fragile that they break apart under drilling, making sample retrieval nearly impossible. Now, the team hopes that Serpentine Lake will be strong enough to hold together during the coring process. If successful, this sample could provide some of the best evidence yet of Mars’ ancient water-rich environments.After completing its work at Serpentine Lake, the rover will head toward an area called Broom Point, a site with spectacular layered rock formations. Scientists are eager to see what new secrets these rocks might reveal about Mars’ geological evolution.Each discovery made by Perseverance adds another piece to the puzzle of Mars’ past. The rover’s findings are helping scientists determine whether the Red Planet was once capable of supporting life—one of the biggest questions in planetary science.Comment Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

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