The Perseverance rover discovers some “popcorn rocks” on Mars that suggest the presence of water in the past

The Perseverance rover belonging to NASA has discovered unusual rock formations in the Bright Angel region of Mars’ Jezero Crater, which scientists have dubbed “popcorn rocks”. The discovery of these popcorn-like textured rocks would reinforce the hypothesis that water existed on the red planet in the past.

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According to NASA, the “popcorn rocks” discovered by Perseverance in Bright Angel, a scientific interest area located in a river channel that once fed the Jezero Crater, are densely packed with spheres and mineral veins that suggest the past presence of water. Mineral veins, formed when water transports and deposits minerals, are common on both Earth and Mars.

The Perseverance rover arrived in this region of Mars on Sol 1175 of its mission. The area stands out for its light-toned rocky outcrops, which represent ancient sediments or much older rocks exposed by a river. Despite the difficulties encountered on its route, the rover managed to reach its destination after navigating through a field of rocks and dunes that significantly slowed its progress.

Evan Graser, deputy chief of strategic route planning for Perseverance, explained that “the rocks became larger and more numerous, which reduced our progress to just tens of meters per Martian day. It was frustrating.” Thanks to careful planning and the rover’s AutoNav mode, the team managed to navigate around the obstacles and finally reach Bright Angel.

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