NASA's Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image using its Right Mastcam-Z camera. Mastcam-Z is a pair of cameras located high on the rover's mast. This image was acquired on June 10, 2024 (Sol 1175, or Martian day 1,175 of the Mars 2020 mission) at the local mean solar time of 14:04:57. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
Upon the rover’s arrival at Bright Angel
– where Perseverance encountered unusual
popcorn-like textures – it was so
exciting to see all the interesting features in the rocks of this interval! In
particular, these rocks contain an abundance of veins and nodules. Veins are
linear features containing mineral crystals that often form thin plates or
sheets that cut through the rocks and across other veins. Veins are often more
resistant to erosion than the rocks they are found in so they stand out in
raised relief. Nodules are small, rounded protrusions in the rocks. Nodules are
often sites of mineral formation distinct from the surrounding rock.
Veins and nodules form when water flows through a rock, and minerals
crystallize from this water in cracks and empty spaces within the rock.
Features like this were previously observed by Perseverance during its
exploration of the sedimentary rocks of the western fan, particularly during
the "Fan Front Campaign" at Hogwallow Flats. However, these features
have been sparse in the margin unit. The omnipresence of veins and nodules in
the rocks of Bright Angel is truly striking. We hope to get more data on these
interesting features over the next few weeks because they may signify intense
water-rock interaction at this site!
Written by Hemani Kalucha, Ph.D. student at Caltech
Source: Interesting
Rock Textures Galore at Bright Angel - NASA Science
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