Continuing the Journey of Discovery
Following its sampling of the “leopard spots” at “Bright Angel,” Perseverance continued its exploration of this fascinating area. Approximately 20 sols later, after navigating south from Bright Angel throughout Neretva Vallis, the rover encountered putting purple rocks at Serpentine Rapids. Then there it created an abrasion patch in a purple rock formation generally known as “Wallace Butte.” This patch revealed an array of colors, together with white, black and inexperienced hues.
Understanding the Geological Significance
The discovery of inexperienced spots stunned the rover workforce. These spots, consisting of darkish cores surrounded by fuzzy, mild inexperienced rims, current a singular geological function. On Earth, purple rocks usually derive their hue from oxidized iron, much like the color of blood or rust. The formation of inexperienced spots, like these discovered at Wallace Butte, is widespread in historic “purple beds” on our planet. This course of happens when liquid water seeps by way of sediment, triggering a chemical response that alters the iron’s oxidation state, leading to a greenish tint.
Exploring Possible Origins of Green Spots
While such adjustments can contain microbial exercise on Earth, they’ll additionally come up from decaying natural matter or interactions between sulfur and iron. Unfortunately, the rover was unable to analyse the inexperienced spots instantly because of area constraints. As a outcome, their exact composition code
