NASA’s Perseverance rover is exploring the Martian rim of Jezero Crater, a crater filled with rocky outcrops. The mission has cored five rocks, performed up-close analysis of seven rocks, and analysed another 83 from afar using a laser. The diversity of rocks found has exceeded expectations, with tons of fragmented once-molten rocks and formerly underground boulders juxtaposed with well-preserved layered rocks. The first crater-rim rock sample, “Silver Mountain,” was collected from “Shallow Bay,” likely formed 3.9 billion years ago during Mars’ earliest geological period.
Perseverance Rover Unearths Clues to Mars’ Watery Past in Jezero Crater Rocks
Deep in the Martian crust, the crew came upon an outcrop featuring igneous minerals solidified from magma. Working with ESA, NASA’s Mars Sample Return Program gathers sealed samples from Mars for detailed investigation.
NASA’s Perseverance rover is collecting data on Mars as it examines rock formations that may contain evidence of the planet’s geological history. The rover is currently traversing terrain near the rim of Jezero Crater, a basin north of the Martian equator believed to have once held a lake. After reaching the crater’s western edge in December, it has been studying the stratified terrain of Witch Hazel Hill, which may offer information about past environmental conditions on Mars.
In the past few months, the car-sized Perseverance has collected samples of five rocks, performed detailed analysis on seven others, and zapped an additional 83 with its laser for remote study.
Perseverance Finds Ancient Rocks at Jezero Crater Rim, Boosting Search for Life on Mars
The western rim of Jezero Crater contains fragmented igneous rocks that may have originated from deep below the Martian surface, likely ejected by meteor impacts. These may include the impact that formed the crater itself. Perseverance’s first sample from the rim, named Silver Mountain, is estimated to be at least 3.9 billion years old, potentially from the Noachian epoch.
Nearby, the rover identified a boulder rich in serpentine minerals. Researchers note that such material could produce hydrogen under certain conditions, which is considered a possible energy source for microbial life. The mission team is using recent data to determine the next sampling site along the crater rim.
