GabyPerseverance rover came across a strange rock on Mars made up of hundreds of tiny spheres that resemble spider eggs. Scientists don’t know where it came from, but they hope studying it will help the search for fossilized microbial life on the Red Planet.
The rover discovered the rock on the slope of Witch Hazel Hill in Jezero Crater. The rock was lightly dusted with red sand and appeared to be “out of place,” Perseverance mission researchers noted. They named the mysterious find St. Pauls Bay. The team thinks it is likely a “floating rock”—it was found somewhere other than where it formed. As NASA pointed out, there are currently no contextual clues that explain its texture.
Researchers are extremely interested in what forces moved the rock from its original location. That movement could shed light on the geology of Mars, Live Science reported.
The team has proposed several theories about the rock’s origin. It may have formed after a meteorite struck Mars. The rock could also have partially vaporized, leaving behind the small granules photographed by the rover.
NASA also suggested the rock could have rolled down Witch Hazel Hill—more precisely, it might have been pushed out from one of the hill’s darker layers that orbital observations have detected. Further study of the hill will help researchers determine what those darker layers are made of. If those layers match the rock’s composition, that could point to volcanic activity, a meteorite impact, past groundwater, or something else, the researchers wrote in their statement.
The St. Pauls Bay rocks give scientists important clues about how the Red Planet has changed over time. Their formation and movement reveal complex interactions between water, rock, and Martian geological forces.
If Witch Hazel Hill once had groundwater, some rock samples collected by Perseverance may contain fossilized microbial remains. The NASA Mars Sample Return mission, scheduled for the 2030s, will collect these samples and deliver them to Earth for further study.
