NASA scientists puzzled by zebra-striped boulder on Mars

By Dean Murray via SWNS

Scientists are puzzling over a boulder on Mars with zebra markings.

The black-and-white striped rock is unlike any seen on the Red Planet and has caused excitement among internet users.

NASA's Mars Perseverance rover captured an image of the rock on a crater rim on September 13 using its Left Mastcam-Z camera.

NASA Science Editorial Team said: "While driving across unremarkable pebbly terrain, beady-eyed team members spotted a cobble in the distance with hints of an unusual texture in low-resolution Navcam images, and gave it the name ‘Freya Castle’.

"The team planned a multispectral observation using the Mastcam-Z camera in order to get a closer look before driving away. When these data were downlinked a couple of days later, after Perseverance had already left the area, it became clear just how unusual it was.

"‘Freya Castle’ is around 20cm across, and has a striking pattern with alternating black and white stripes. The internet immediately lit up with speculation about what this “zebra rock” might be, and we’ve enjoyed reading your theories!"

"The science team thinks that this rock has a texture unlike any seen in Jezero Crater before, and perhaps all of Mars ."

While the team's knowledge of the rock's chemical composition is limited, early interpretations are that igneous and/or metamorphic processes could have created its stripes

Since Freya Castle is a loose stone that is clearly different from the underlying bedrock, it has likely arrived here from someplace else, perhaps having rolled downhill from a source higher up.

"This possibility has us excited, and we hope that as we continue to drive uphill, Perseverance will encounter an outcrop of this new rock type so that more detailed measurements can be acquired," added NASA.

The find caused excitement among internet users. Science fans on the Reddit site commented "That looks like one of those fake rocks with a hole to hide your key in," and "Zebrock: everybody freeze! There is an alien camera filming us."

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