Earlier this month, NASA’s Perseverance rover captured images of the black-and-white striped rock using a camera mounted high on its mast. NASA scientists received the images on Sept. 13, after Perseverance had already left the area, the statement said.
Knowledge about the chemical composition is limited
The rock, dubbed “Freya’s Castle” by scientists, has a texture never seen before.
“Our knowledge of its chemical composition is limited, but initial interpretations suggest that its streaks may have been created by igneous and/or metamorphic processes,” NASA representatives wrote.
Igneous processes are processes related to the crystallization of magma, while metamorphic processes are changes in the composition of rocks due to high heat and pressure.
Came from somewhere else
“Freya’s Castle” is approximately 20 cm (8 inches) in diameter. The zebra rock is reported to be friable and different from the underlying rock, suggesting that it came from somewhere else.
One possibility is that the rock may have fallen from a crater below. “We hope Perseverance will encounter this new type of rock outcrop and make more detailed measurements,” NASA officials said.
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2024-10-01 04:53:26
