Perseverance finds ‘popcorn’-like rocks on planet Mars

After months of driving, Perseverance has lastly arrived at “Brilliant Angel,” discovering oddly textured rock not like any the rover has seen earlier than. The crew now plans to drive up the slope to uncover the origin of this rock sequence and its relationship to the margin unit.

Having accomplished a survey of the intriguing and various boulders at “Mount Washburn,” the rover headed north, parking simply in entrance of an publicity of layered gentle toned rock. This supplied the crew with a primary close-up look of the rocks that make up the “Brilliant Angel” publicity, so Perseverance stopped to accumulate photographs, earlier than driving west to a bigger and extra accessible outcrop the place the rover will conduct detailed exploration.

Perseverance arrived on the base of this outcrop on sol 1175, and geologists on the science crew had been mesmerized by the unusual textures of the sunshine toned rocks discovered there. These rocks are stuffed with sharp ridges that resemble the mineral veins discovered on the base of the fan, however there seems to be extra of them right here.

Moreover, some rocks are densely full of small spheres, and so they jokingly referred to this as a “popcorn”-like texture. Collectively, these options recommend that groundwater flowed by way of these rocks after they had been laid down. Subsequent, Perseverance will progressively ascend up the rock publicity, taking measurements because it goes.

Over the weekend, the abrasion device might be used to take a close-up look and purchase detailed chemical data utilizing the devices on the rover’s arm. With this data in hand, the crew will determine whether or not or to not pattern. As soon as the exploration at “Brilliant Angel” is full, it’s going to drive south again throughout Neretva Vallis and discover a website known as “Serpentine Rapids.”