NASA’s Perseverance rover has discovered surprising Martian rocks in Jezero Crater on the Red Planet that may have traces of life, according to a Newsweek report. Scientists believe that the surface of Mars was once filled with water. And these rocks, believed to be weathered by water, have given them confidence that the Red Planet was indeed a water world at one time. The collected samples have been preserved by a robot and are being prepared for their journey to Earth. The Perseverance rover’s landing site was chosen by the space agency to be in Jezero Crater to investigate ancient lake and river deposits. The 28-mile-wide (45-kilometer) crater is located on the western edge of Isidis Planitia, a flat plain that lies just north of Mars’ equator. It is about 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers) from Curiosity’s landing site in Gale Crater. A study published in the journal Science Advances titled “Water-altered igneous rocks on the floor of Jezero Crater, Mars”, the research reveals that the discovery of two different forms of igneous rocks surprised experts, who expected to find sedimentary rocks. These rocks have sulfates and perchlorates in their voids, which were likely created by the subsequent evaporation of salt near the surface, the study further said. According to NASA, it was a surprise to scientists in the spring of 2021 when the Mars rover began examining rocks on the floor of the Jezero crater. A post was shared by NASA’s official Perseverance Rover Twitter handle on Friday along with images of the rocks. I came to the ancient Jezero crater lake bed expecting lots of sedimentary rock. I see them now in the old river delta, but the crater floor was a surprise: lots of volcanic rock. 🪨 Now my science team is sharing some of what they’ve put together: https://t.co/HO0zRMue4hpic.twitter.com/z8ZOwqRPGG — NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASPersevere) August 25, 2022 “I came to the ancient floor of the Jezero crater expecting a lot of sedimentary rocks. I see them now in the old river delta, but the crater floor was a surprise: a lot of volcanic rocks. Now my scientific team is sharing some of what they have put together,” the post’s caption reads.
