NASA’s Perseverance rover has made a puzzling discovery in Jezero Crater, a dark-colored stone dubbed “Skull Hill” that may have originated from elsewhere. The rover stopped at the boundary between two contrasting rock outcrops, revealing an intriguing location nicknamed “Port Anson,” featuring several angular rocks with unknown origins.
The team, led by Margaret Deahn, believes Skull Hill is likely an igneous rock formed as molten lava cooled long ago on Mars. Its dark color and unusual pits suggest wind erosion over time. However, the stone’s composition may hold clues to its true origin. Chemical analysis indicates it doesn’t match a meteorite, but rather seems to point to volcanic activity.
The Perseverance team hopes that analyzing the composition of dark-toned float rocks like Skull Hill will help interpret their geologic story and shed light on the mystery surrounding this unusual rock. Further investigations by the rover are underway, offering new insights into Mars’ geological history.
Source: https://thedebrief.org/nasas-perseverance-rover-is-investigating-a-mysterious-dark-stone-of-uncertain-origin