NASA's Perseverance rover spots funky-looking rock on Mars

Mars, our planetary neighbour, is a treasure trove of enigmatic geological features that continue to delight scientists and space enthusiasts alike. Over the years, various missions operating on the Red Planet have captured stunning images of such features including mysterious rocks. Recently, NASA's Perseverance rover spotted one such interestingly shaped rock, capturing the hearts and minds of the mission team.

The rock captured by the rover's Mastcam-Z camera is sombrero rock (officially named Middle Mountain), which was spotted by the rover during its journey to the carbonate-bearing Margin Unit.

Scientists have put forth a hypothesis to explain its sombrero-like shape. This funky shape is due to a process known as case hardening, which occurs where the outer shell of an exposed rock surface hardens either due to chemical weathering and a relative softening of the interior, or hardening of the exterior due to the development of a rind, causing its interior to be preferentially eroded away, leaving behind interesting, hollowed-out looking shapes.

"Investigating whether there is a compositional difference between the inner core and outer rim of the “sombrero” may help us to understand the processes behind its distinct shape, therefore increasing our understanding of the geological history of this area further," Eleni Ravanis, Student Collaborator at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, wrote in a post.

#ICYMI: The rocks of Jezero Crater continue to delight! As I was rolling around Mars, I spotted this funky-looking rock. While it’s fun to look at, learn why my team wants to study this eroded rock: https://t.co/EQ1uRsk7Ju pic.twitter.com/XC4U1YTyca

— NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover (@NASAPersevere) October 6, 2023

After collecting its first core sample of the margin unit, the Perseverance rover is charting a course for its next destination in the Margin Campaign - the Jurabi Point - a location where three distinct geological units - the boulder-rich unit, upper fan sedimentary rock, and margin unit - intersect.

Termed as "triple-junction", this scientifically interesting point will help scientists clarify their age relationships, aiding them in refining their understanding of the Red Planet's geological history.