NASA has released the clearest view of Mars to date, with blue rocks observed across the planet’s landscape.
The images were captured by the Perseverance rover as it explores the planet.
Dark blue, jagged rocks of volcanic basalt were found on top of the dried remains of an ancient lakebed, according to the Daily Mail.
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NASA found the boulders on what has been dubbed “Mount Washburn,” a rocky field on the Jezero crater, where an ancient lake is believed to have been located billions of years ago.
The name “Mount Washburn” was given to the field of rocks in honor of a mountain in Yellowstone National Park.
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The rover came upon a white-striped rock within the field of blue boulders. The Perseverance science team nicknamed the light-toned boulder with dark speckles “Atoko Point.”
While the blue rocks are primarily volcanic basalt, which is typical of Martian terrain, NASA concluded that “Atoko Point” is made of anorthosite-a silica-rich volcanic rock, which has never been documented on Mars.
This rock type had been theorized to exist but never seen on the Martian landscape, according to Marca.
“Are there other rocks like this near the Jezero Crater rim? I’m on my way to find out,” the Perseverance rover’s X account said.
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