Nicolaus Copernicus Superior School

Unusual discovery on Mars – green spots on rocks

NASA’s Perseverance rover, exploring the surface of Mars, has made a surprising discovery. It captured an image showing green-colored rocks. Scientists argue that this may indicate the presence on the Red Planet of microorganisms and chemical reactions common on Earth. 

The Perseverance rover has been exploring the Red Planet since February 2021, collecting samples and taking numerous images. One of them, taken on August 19 and now reported by NASA scientists, shows a Martian rock. It shows not only white and black, but also green patches. 

The composition of the rock is unknown, and it is difficult to determine whether the spots are just sediment or whether the entire rocks are different colors. For scientists, however, this is an important discovery, since similar colored rocks are found on Earth, especially in the red shales. Green spots, which can be seen in Perseverance’s photo, are also common in red rocks on Earth and are formed when liquid water seeps through sediment before it hardens into rock. 

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