This week the rover took a picture on the surface of Mars. The rover team confirmed that the object is a mineral formation with delicate structures that were formed by minerals in the water.
These types of features are called diagenetic crystal clusters. There are three-dimensional crystal clusters that are likely made of a combination of minerals.
The features that were seen previously were made of salts called sulfates, according to the deputy project scientist.
(1/3) Your Friday moment of zen: A beautiful new microscopic image from @MarsCuriosity shows teeny, tiny delicate structures that formed by mineral precipitating from water.
(Penny approximately for scale added me)https://t.co/cs7t11BWAj pic.twitter.com/AU20LjY5pQ
— Abigail Fraeman (@abbyfrae) February 26, 2022
The feature was embedded in a rock and eroded away over time. The mineral clusters seem to be resistant to erosion.
The features were nicknamed "blueberries" since they were small and round, which is why they are called concretion. There are round concretions next to the flower-like feature.
Kevin M. Gill is from NASA/JPL-Caltech.
The feature was named Blackthorn Salt by the rover science team. The MAHLI was used to take these close-up images. The magnifying hand lens that geologists carry with them into the field is the version of the camera that the rover uses. The minerals and texture in rock surfaces are revealed in close-up images by MAHLI.
Here you can see a 3-D model of the object.
Mineral formation on Mars.
There was a flower-like feature found by the Curiosity rover back in 2013; and the Spirit rover found similar rocks that were nicknamed "cauliflower" because of their knobby protuberances.
The rocks were photographed by the Spirit Rover. JPL-Caltech is a part of NASA.
Kevin Gill processed the images, which were taken on Sol 3397.
The article was published by Universe Today. The original article is worth a read.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
