Scientists Baffled by Discovery of Mysterious, Unseen Crystals on Mars

Unusual Crystals on Mars— Does It Resonate Sulphur?

NASA's Curiosity Rover has been roaming Mars since 2012, helping scientists uncover the mysteries of the red planet. Recently, the rover discovered yellowish-green sulfur crystals on Mars' surface, marking the biggest discovery since its mission began. Curiosity had previously discovered sulfate samples on the planet, but finding pure sulfur was a game changer. Ashwin Vasavada, Curiosity project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California told CNN , "I have to say, there’s a lot of luck involved here. Not every rock has something interesting inside."

Uncovering the Secret of Gediz Vallis

The NASA team operating the Curiosity Rover had long been preparing to study Gediz Vallis, a channel on the slopes of Mount Sharp on Mars, possibly formed by liquid forces such as water. The channel seemed to have been created more than 3 billion years ago and held valuable information about Mars' past. The rover has been climbing the mountain since 2014, as reported by Forbes . As the rover scanned the area, the team became interested in the white stones visible from afar and started taking images of the surroundings. One of the images of the rover’s tracks sparked interest among the crew.

Rover Had Stepped on Pure Sulphur

Knewz.com noted that on May 30, as scientists studied the captured images, they zoomed in and discovered that the rover had driven over a rock, cracking it open. Further investigation revealed yellowish crystals in the crushed rock’s remains. To determine what the crystals were, the team had instructed the rover to drill into a neighboring rock and examine the crystals closely. A deeper investigation revealed that the crystals were pure sulfur, something the scientists had not expected. Ashwini Vasavada, one of the scientists on the Curiosity team, told CNN , "I think it was the strangest find of the whole mission and the most unexpected."

Discovery Unfolds History of Mars

Sulfur was generally crystalline, but the ones found on Mars had been sandblasted from the outside due to weathering effects, indicating that natural forces like water had once been present on the red planet. Before the Curiosity rover, the Spirit rover had been sent to study Mars. According to the New York Post , the Spirit rover had discovered pure silica on Mars's surface, indicating the presence of hot springs. Pure sulfur on Earth was also mostly found near hydrothermal vents. All this evidence suggested that life could have once existed on the planet, as the conditions had seemed favorable.

Curiosity Rover Continues Its Exploration

The Curiosity rover landed on Mars on August 6, 2012, intending to study the planet's climatic and geological conditions and determine if microbial life had ever been present there. As Curiosity explored Gediz Vallis, scientists were amazed that each rock contained different minerals. Vasavada told CNN , "Maybe this rock slab had experienced multiple different kinds of environments, and they were sort of overprinting each other, and now we have to unravel that." Once the rover had finished exploring the channel, it would move west along Mount Sharp to make further discoveries.