Laura De Rosa The discovery occurred on May 30, 2024, when NASA's Curiosity rover accidentally broke a rock while passing over it. For the researchers it was like finding an oasis in the desert
@Nasa
For the first time, pure sulfur rocks have been discovered on Mars. This groundbreaking finding occurred on May 30, 2024, when NASA’s Curiosity rover accidentally broke a rock while exploring Gediz Vallis. Inside the rock were crystals of elemental sulfur.
Pure sulfur forms only under specific conditions, and scientists had not expected it to form in this particular location. The discovery could provide intriguing and unexpected insights into the site’s history, especially given the substantial amount found – an entire field of glowing rocks similar to those broken by the rover.
Ashwin Vasavada, the Curiosity project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, remarked on NASA’s website, “Finding a field of sulfur rocks is like finding an oasis in the desert.”
Previous discoveries at the site had already shown researchers that its history was far more complex than initially expected, and the discovery of pure sulfur only further confirmed their hypotheses.
Meanwhile, researchers decided to collect additional samples from a large rock nicknamed “Mammoth Lakes,” spotted nearby. On June 18, 2024, Curiosity used its powerful drill to make its 41st hole since the mission began.
The pulverized rock will be analyzed to determine its composition, in the hope that it will provide further information about the unexpected finding.
Source: Nasa
