NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover took a night image of the Malgosa Crest abrasion patch at “Serpentine Rapids.” This was taken with the SHERLOC WATSON camera on the end of the rover’s robotic arm. The diameter of the abrasion patch is 5 centimeters and there is a bright green spot approximately 2 millimeters wide. The picture was taken on August 19, 2024, the 1,243rd Martian day for the Mars 2020 mission.
Continuing the Journey of Discovery
After sampling the “leopard spots” at “Bright Angel,” Perseverance continued to survey the interesting region. Some 20 sols later, after traveling south from Bright Angel across Neretva Vallis, the rover encountered striking red rocks at Serpentine Rapids. Then there it created an abrasion patch in a red rock formation known as “Wallace Butte.” This patch revealed an array of colors, including white, black and green hues.
Geologic Significance
The discovery of green spots was a great surprise for the rover team. These spots are made of dark cores surrounded by fuzzy, light green rims, which is a different kind of geological feature. Red rocks on Earth have red color due to iron being oxidized, in other words, it appears red like blood or rust. The formation of green spots, as seen in Wallace Butte, occurs very commonly in ancient “red beds” on our planet. This happens when there is an infiltration of liquid water through sediment that causes some chemical reaction which changes the oxidation state of the iron, hence it turns out to be greenish.
Possible Sources of Green Spotting
Such reactions can be attributed to microbial activity on Earth, decaying organic matter, or the interaction of sulfur and iron, but the space limitation within the rover prevented direct analysis from the green spots hence the exact composition code
Bhupendra Singh Chundawat is a seasoned technology journalist with over 22 years of experience in the media industry. He specializes in covering the global technology landscape, with a deep focus on manufacturing trends and the geopolitical impact on tech companies. Currently serving as the Editor at Udaipur Kiran, his insights are shaped by decades of hands-on reporting and editorial leadership in the fast-evolving world of technology.
