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Just a month after NASA’s rover started its ascent up the steep slopes toward the crater rim of Mars, the Mars Perseverance rover spotted a never-before-seen black-and-white striped rock. The rock has been named “Freya Castle”.
While the understanding of its chemical composition is still limited, initial interpretations suggest that igneous and/or metamorphic processes may have formed the stripes.
Given that Freya Castle is a loose stone distinct from the bedrock beneath it, it likely originated from a different location, possibly having rolled down from a higher source. Perseverance will come across an outcrop of this new rock type, allowing NASA to take more detailed measurements.
According to NASA's statement, while navigating through a pebbly landscape, team members spotted a cobble in the distance that exhibited signs of an unusual texture in low-resolution Navcam images, leading them to name it "Freya Castle".
The team planned to conduct a multispectral observation with the Mastcam-Z camera to get a closer view before moving on.
Rock With Unique Striped Pattern
A few days later, when the data was transmitted back to Earth, it became evident just how unique the rock was, especially since Perseverance had already departed the area. "Freya Castle" measures approximately 20 cm across and features a striking pattern of alternating black and white stripes.
One possibility is that the rock could have rolled down from higher up in the crater. "This prospect excites us," said NASA representatives. "We hope that as we continue our ascent, Perseverance will come across an outcrop of this new rock type, allowing us to gather more detailed measurements."
Perseverance has finished four science campaigns on Mars to date, and the ascent to the crater marks the beginning of a fifth, known as the Crater Rim Campaign. The rover is searching for evidence of ancient life and insights into the early history of the Red Planet.
