NASA gets a surprise on Mars: This was hiding inside a rock

 

In its latest achievement, the Curiosity rover has found pure sulfur on Mars, which has completely shocked scientists. This was found in the Gediz Vallis Channel and is challenging present-day knowledge of the geological history of Mars, and it also gives a rare view as to the ancient times of the planet and the very deceased, possible conditions for life.

Curiosity exposes first Martian pure sulfur crystals found

In May, the six-wheeled rover fatefully found this rock and rolled over it such that it broke apart to produce bright yellow crystals of elemental sulfur. Mars is indeed known to be full of sulfates, the minerals that form when sulfur combines with other elements in water.

But this is the first time anyone has found pure sulfur on the red planet. The discovery is quite special because it indicates the pure sulfur formed under very narrow circumstances that usually do not pertain to this area Curiosity examined. The Gediz Vallis Channel was once a wet area eroded by ancient pathways through which water flowed and had previously yielded some evidence of chemical reactions, predominantly water-driven, in its rocks.

Elemental sulfur now indicates that Mars holds far more secrets in its geological history than scientists had anticipated. “Finding an oasis in the desert,” said Ashwin Vasavada, project scientist for the Curiosity mission, about this find. In fact, there is so much sulfur-rich rock here that a grander field of similar findings is possibly waiting to be discovered.

Questions still unanswered: What is the link between pure sulfur and Mars’ water history?

The question remains to be answered what really the relationship of pure sulfur with the history of the red planet was because the sulfates generally remain as the remnant products associated with the evaporation of water and have provided some major evidence about the history of water on Mars.

But it’s not known how pure sulfur can form under very limited environmental conditions still in an unfamiliar martian context. Indeed, the discovery indicates how poorly understood is the geological evolution of Mars itself.

According to scientists, sulfur probably had a previous uninvestigated genesis, which could very likely involve some yet unanswered processes such as the interrelationship of water and volcanic activity or some exclusive atmospheric conditions. Expanded knowledge of this might require increasingly sophisticated modeling of early Mars. On that note, this recent observation made by Curiosity has even more interesting consequences for astrobiology.

Sulfur is one of the key elements for life as we understand it; it is bound in amino acid formation. This discovery did not immediately imply the possibility of life on the planet but nonetheless adds to the growing inventory of life-supporting elements and compounds known to be present on Mars: water, habitable conditions, and now pure sulfur.

Gediz Vallis: The exposed secrets of water history and geological past of Mars

The Gediz Vallis Channel, where the discovery was made, remains a venue of attraction for Mars exploration. The channel, which was once a flowing river billions of years ago, now holds sediment and debris that tell tales about the wet past of Mars.

The Curiosity rover has drilled into rocks and collected powdered samples for further chemical analyses. These efforts are aimed at decoding information on how sulfur formed independently in the ancient landscape. Curiosity is embarking on a mission that will enter its twelfth year, demonstrating that planetary exploration can be essential.

Otherwise, this discovery could have been hidden for much longer had the rover not happened to cut a path in just such a way that the rock cracked into this area. Every movement that the rover makes discovers surprising new revelations.

Once more, NASA’s Curiosity rover has justified exploration by opening this treasure box of pure sulfur on Mars. This finding contradicts current models of Mars geology and adds new depth to the story of its past, waters filled with liquid. Curiosity is now traveling deeper into the Gediz Vallis Channel, promising the discovery of many more secrets that will bring humankind closer to unraveling the mystery of the red planet.