NASA Curiosity rover cracks open rock on Mars to uncover first find of yellow sulfur crystals
NASA’S Curiosity rover has inadvertently discovered rocks comprising pure sulfur, the first find of its kind on Mars.
Researchers were left dumbfounded when the vehicle cracked open a rock while exploring a region rich with sulfates, a kind of salt that contains sulfur and forms as water evaporates, NASA’S Jet Propulsion Laboratory wrote on its website.
However, while previous finds were sulfur-based minerals - a cocktail of sulfur and other substances - this particular rock split open by the Mars rover is actually wholly made of pure sulfur.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Elemental sulfur can only form in a small number of conditions, none of which researchers have linked to this particular location on Mars.
It wasn’t just one small discovery - Curiosity has unearthed an entire field of bright rocks which resemble the one it first crushed on May 30.
“Finding a field of stones made of pure sulfur is like finding an oasis in the desert,” Ashwin Vasavada of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab said.
“It shouldn’t be there, so now we have to explain it. Discovering strange and unexpected things is what makes planetary exploration so exciting.”
