NASA has released its clearest view of Mars yet, with blue rocks observed across the planet’s landscape.
The images were taken by the Perseverance rover as it explored the planet.
Jagged boulders of dark blue volcanic basalt have been found atop the dried remains of an ancient lake bed, according to archaeologists. Daily Mail.
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NASA found the rocks on what it called “Mount Washburn,” a rocky field located in Jezero Crater, where an ancient lake is believed to have existed billions of years ago.
The boulder field was named “Mount Washburn” in honor of the mountain in Yellowstone National Park.
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The rover found a white-striped rock within a field of blue rocks. The Perseverance science team named the light-colored rock with dark spots “Atoko Point.”
While the blue rocks are primarily volcanic basalt, typical of Mars’ terrain, NASA has concluded that “Atoko Point” is made of anorthosite, a silica-rich volcanic rock, which has never been documented on Mars.
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This type of rock has been hypothesized to exist but has never been seen on Mars. According to Marca.
“Are there other rocks like this near the edge of Jezero Crater? I’m on my way to find out,” Perseverance’s X account said.
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