A discovery is shared by the older Curiosity rover NASA, claiming that pure sulfur crystals have manifested themselves on Mars, a first for the space agency and the planet. This specific area is believed to be filled with said sulfur crystals which Curiosity accidentally discovered as it was passing over a rock, and researchers claim this has never been seenbefore.
This latest finding expands more of what NASA knows about the Red Planet, making it a significant learning about what Mars has to offer.
NASA Curiosity Rover Finds Pure Sulfur Crystals on Mars
(Photo : NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)
NASA JPL shared a new report on the latest discovery by Curiosity as it passed through rocks in the Gediz Vallis Channel, accidentally stumbling upon pure sulfur crystals in the area. The rover later crushed the rocks open and found elemental sulfur there, believed to be pure, and is different from the popularly-believed element in the Earth as this isodorless.
The entire field of bright rocks in the Valley is believed to be filled with pure sulfur crystals which was a first for the entire scientific world in its knowledge of Mars.
It was regarded by scientists that elemental sulfur only forms in certain conditions, but this is already a reality for Mars, a planet that has long been barren.
Mars is known to have sulfates before, and Curiosity has followed up on this which led to the latest discovery of pure elemental sulfur in the Gediz Valley. Researchers claim that this finding is similar to "finding an oasis in the desert," but it remains an unknown phenomenon of how it came to be.
Previous studies of the Gediz Valley believe that it came to be because of ancient floods and landslides, with links to water presence in the region.
NASA Curiosity and its Findings on Mars
Like what NASA is hoping to find on the Moon, its Mars missions have also searched for almost the same presence in the neighboring planet which includes the likes of water and evidence of previous life. It is already 12 years since Curiosity first arrived on Mars to begin its mission, and the spacecraft found high methane levels on the planet whichare more than what was previously believed.
The belief behind Mars having ancient waters is also something that is continuously pursued by astronomers and scientists, particularly as previous evidence suggests that it had a watery past of its own. It was revealed that Curiosity stumbled upon rocks on Mars that depict 'ancient water wave patterns' which were theorized to be similar to how beaches work.
Water remains one of the top sources of life even on the cosmic scale, and Earth is known for offering this in the planet for its residents as a need to survive, one which NASA hopes to find in other worlds. The latest discovery by the 12-year-old rover was pure sulfur crystals hidden in the Gediz Vallis, with the area filled with it, and researchers looking to uncover more of what it means.
