A rock type spotted by two Mars rovers may indicate that the landscape was shaped by volcanic eruptions.
The Jezero Crater is located in the Nili Fossae region of Mars and is filled with volcanic minerals. The same olivine-rich bedrock was also found at the Gusev Crater, where NASA's Spirit rover lived until its demise in 2010. The connection between the regions was made by a team led by Steve Ruff. The researchers looked at data from multiple Mars rovers to confirm the geologic similarities. The scientists compared the images of Earth rocks and the images of the Gusev Crater rock.
It was a eureka moment when he saw the same kind of texture in the rocks of the crater.
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The olivine-rich bedrock on Mars is caused by the ash, pumice and pyroclastic flows of powerful volcanic eruptions.
The identification of ignimbrite, a volcanic mineral, would indicate that volcanism was responsible for producing the Nili Fossae.
Imagine a ground-hugging cloud of hot gasses and nearly molten ash and pumice flowing through the landscape for dozens of miles and piling up in layers up to hundreds of feet thick in a few days.
To confirm the presence of ignimbrite on Mars, the scientists say they will have to study the rocks in a lab.
The results of the study will be published in the journal in July.
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