Uncovering the Mysteries of Mars: The Discovery of Pure Sulfur in Martian Rock

2024-07-19 09:01:31

The discovery is one more piece of the puzzle of the past history of the red planet

In recent years we have found many surprises on Mars, one of the latest being some unexpected “popcorn” shaped rocks. However, we have to include the final result in another list because of what it could mean in the future. Curiosity came across a rock that he accidentally opened. It is what he got inside something unusual on the red planet.

Pure sulphur. Like the agency explained By a statement, the robot’s passage through the stone broke it into two pieces. To give us an idea, Curiosity weighs about 900 kilos, so the adventure is not unreasonable. Inside the Martian rock was revealed a yellow substance that NASA identified as sulfur on the red planet, moreover, in its pure elemental form.

The enclave, key. It is where the unfortunate accident happened the Gediz Vallis channelfilling a space with rocks that look suspiciously like sulfur before being fortuitously crushed, suggesting that elemental sulfur may be abundant nearby.

According to explained scientist Ashwin Vasavada From NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, “it’s like finding a field of stones made of pure sulfur from an oasis in the desert. It shouldn’t be there, so now we have to explain it. Discovering strange and unexpected things is what makes planetary exploration so exciting.”

A rock similar to the one broken by Curiosity, taken nine days after the sulfur discovery

What can it tell us. Researchers say sulfates are salts formed when sulfur, generally in compound form, mixes with other minerals in water. Then, as the water evaporates, the minerals mix and dry, leaving the sulfates behind. So those sulfate minerals can tell a lot about Mars, from the history of water to how it has eroded over time.

The Martian gibberish. It turns out that we don’t have much history to rely on after the discovery, mainly because we are just beginning to understand the history of Mars. Pure sulfur only forms under a very limited set of conditions, which is not known to have happened in the region of Mars where Curiosity was found, although it appears so.

That said, it seems clear that once we find pure sulfur floating on the Martian surface, there may be something else we don’t know about right now. We are talking about an essential element for all life, one that is absorbed in the form of sulfates and used to produce two of the essential amino acids that living organisms need to make proteins.

The next step. The IS NASA explains in the statement They will now focus on the area where the accident happened, while gathering details about the piece of stone. In addition, Gediz Vallis is an area rich in Martian history, an ancient waterway whose rocks bear the trace of an ancient river that once flowed over them, billions of years ago, so it is possible that the area in which there are more surprises for. pool inside the rocky floor of the canal.

Image | POT

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