Unexpected discovery hidden in a rock on Mars

(Dan Tri) - A surprising discovery was made on Mars when NASA's Curiosity rover accidentally broke a rock, revealing pure yellow sulfur crystals, also known as brimstone.

A small accident accidentally revealed surprising truths inside a rock that was nothing special (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS).

The incident happened when the 899kg rover moved over a rock mass in the Gediz Vallis channel, causing the fragile mineral shell of the rock to break, exposing pure sulfur crystals inside.

Although sulfur is a fairly common element on Mars, this is the first time it has been found in pure crystalline form on the Red Planet.

It is noteworthy that the Gediz Vallis area has many objects similar to the newly discovered rock, suggesting the possibility of sulfur appearing in high density here.

Unexpected discovery hidden inside a rock on Mars

"Finding pure sulfur crystals in a field of rocks is like finding an oasis in the desert," said Ashwin Vasavada, Curiosity project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

It's not supposed to be there, we need to find an answer to this phenomenon. Strange and unexpected things always make exploring planets more interesting."

While sulfate (mixed sulfur) is a salt that forms when sulfur combines with other minerals in water and is commonly found on Mars, pure sulfur can only form under very narrow conditions, which are thought to never occur in this region of Mars.

The discovery reaffirms that much remains unknown about the geological history of Mars. Distance and accessibility have made studying the planet difficult.

If there had not been an accident that accidentally cracked the rock, it would probably take a long time for scientists to find pure sulfur here.

Curiosity's path (yellow line) in the Gediz Vallis channel. Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UC Berkeley

The Gediz Vallis channel is a historic region of Mars, with rocks that still preserve traces of an ancient river that flowed through it billions of years ago.

Curiosity has now drilled a hole in one of the newly discovered rocks, sampled the powder inside for chemical analysis, and will continue its exploration deeper along the channel, hoping to find more surprises.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/khoa-hoc/phat-hien-bat-ngo-an-giau-trong-hon-da-tren-sao-hoa-20250716114644924.htm