A rock on Mars revealed a surprising find after Curiosity rover accidentally cracked it open. Inside, the rock was filled with bright yellow crystals of sulfur, which is known as brimstone. This is the first time pure sulfur has been found on Mars, though sulfates (which contain sulfur) have been seen before.
The location where Curiosity found the rock, Gediz Vallis Channel, has many similar-looking rocks, suggesting there might be more pure sulfur in the area.
Ashwin Vasavada, the project scientist for Curiosity, said, “Finding a lot of pure sulfur is like discovering an oasis in a desert.” He added that such unexpected discoveries make exploring other planets so thrilling.
Sulfates form when sulfur mixes with minerals in water and then evaporates, leaving behind salts. These sulfates can give us clues about Mars’ past water and weather patterns. However, pure sulfur forms only under specific conditions that aren’t expected on Mars.
Finding so much pure sulfur on Mars suggests there may be something significant we don’t yet understand about the planet. Sulfur is crucial for life because it helps form amino acids needed for proteins. While we know Mars has sulfates, this discovery doesn’t change our knowledge about life on Mars, as we still haven’t found any signs of it.
Curiosity’s instruments identified the sulfur-rich rocks, but without the rover’s accidental cracking, this discovery might have taken much longer. Next, scientists will work on understanding how this sulfur ended up on Mars, possibly through detailed studies of Mars’ geological history.
Curiosity will continue exploring the Gediz Vallis channel, which is an ancient riverbed rich in Martian history. The rover has already taken a sample from a rock and will keep moving along the channel to see what other interesting finds it can uncover.