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NASA’s Mars rover has made a startling discovery – a peculiar, skull-shaped elevation situated on a slope that has left skywatchers puzzled about its origin.
This mysterious formation, named “Skull Hill”, was identified on April 11 by the Perseverance rover as it traversed down a ridge known as Witch Hazel Hill.
The hill is part of the Jezero Crater, a massive 28-mile-wide basin that scientists believe once held a lake.
What makes the rock so interesting is that it looks nothing like the surrounding area.
Unlike the surrounding light-colored and dusty terrain, Skull Hill stands out with its dark color, angular shape, and numerous small pits, giving the impression that it was placed there from another location, as described by Margaret Deahn, a Ph.D. student from Purdue University collaborating with NASA.
That might actually be what happened.
In addition to this contact, the rover has encountered a variety of neat rocks that may have originated from elsewhere and transported to their current location, also known as “float,” Deahn wrote in a blog post about the find.
The team believes Skull Hill could have moved from its original location by erosion, an ancient impact, or another powerful natural event.
At first glance, it even looked like a possible meteorite.
But after using Perseverance’s laser-powered SuperCam to check a nearby similar rock’s chemistry, NASA scientists ruled that out — it didn’t have the high iron and nickel levels typical of space rocks.
Another possible theory is that Skull Hill is an igneous rock formed when lava or magma cooled, possibly millions or billions of years ago.
“Luckily for us, the rover has instruments that can measure the chemical composition of rocks on Mars,” Deahn said, signaling more tests are likely to come to determine the rock’s origins.