NASA says weird 'zebra rock' on Mars is unlike anything seen before on Red Planet

Sascha Pare
Live Science
Fri, 27 Sep 2024 20:10 UTC

© NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU

NASA's Mars Perseverance rover captured this image of a black-and-white striped rock using its Left Mastcam-Z camera. This image was acquired on Sept. 13, 2024 (Sol 1268) at the local mean solar time of 12:40:29.

NASA's Perseverance rover has spotted a funky "zebra rock" on Mars' Jezero crater that's nothing like any rock seen on the Red Planet before.

The rover captured images of the black-and-white striped rock earlier this month using a camera mounted high on its mast. NASA scientists acquired the images Sept. 13, after Perseverance had already left the area, according to a statement.

The rock, which scientists dubbed "Freya Castle," has a never-before-seen texture. "Our knowledge of its chemical composition is limited, but early interpretations are that igneous and/or metamorphic processes could have created its stripes," NASA representatives wrote in the statement.

Igneous processes are those related to the crystallization of magma, while metamorphic processes are changes in the composition of rocks due to high heat and pressure.

Freya Castle measures roughly 8 inches (20 centimeters) across. The zebra rock is loose and different from the underlying bedrock, suggesting it originated from somewhere else, according to the statement.

One possibility is that the rock may have rolled down from farther up the crater. "This possibility has us excited," NASA representatives said. "We hope that as we continue to drive uphill, Perseverance will encounter an outcrop of this new rock type so that more detailed measurements can be acquired."

© NASA Ames/USGS/JPL/Corrine Rojas

Jezero crater is located at the northeastern edge of a volcanic region on Mars known as Syrtis Major.

Perseverance is currently climbing the steep slopes of the Jezero crater, where it first touched down in February 2021. It has been nearly a month since the rover began its ascent. Progress was slow to start with, but in recent days, the rover has cruised along flatter stretches of terrain, according to the statement.

Perseverance has completed four science campaigns so far on Mars, and the crater ascent is the start of a fifth called the Crater Rim Campaign. The rover is on the hunt for signs of ancient life and clues about the early history of the Red Planet. It has already made potentially groundbreaking discoveries, including ancient lake sediments that could contain microbial fossils.

© NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

An image taken by NASA's Perseverance on May 27 while surveying Mount Washburn caught sight of the pale boulder "Atoko Point".

Freya Castle is one of several intriguing rocks spotted by Perseverance on the Jezero crater. In June, NASA received images showing an unusually light-colored boulder near the crater's Mount Washburn, and in July, the agency acquired photographs of a leopard-spotted rock holding tantalizing clues about ancient life on Mars.

© NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

An image of Cheyava Falls, showing white markings that could be traces of ancient microbial activity

Scientists hope the zebra rock will be one of many discoveries during the rover's fifth mission. "As we start the Crater Rim Campaign, our rover is in excellent condition, and the team is raring to see what's on the roof of this place," Art Thompson, the Perseverance project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, said in an earlier statement Aug. 14.