A crushed rock on Mars revealed something never seen before
When the Curiosity rover accidentally crushed a rock, it uncovered pure, yellow sulfur crystals. This video features Dr. Ashwin Vasavacia discussing this unexpected discovery and other highlights from the rover's twelfth year exploring the Red Planet.
The discovery occurred when Curiosity's wheel broke open a rock on May 30, 2024. While Mars is known for sulfates—sulfur-based salts left by ancient drying waters—this was the first time elemental sulfur, consisting only of pure sulfur atoms, was found in its pure form [S1:p1, S2:p2, S2:p3].
Using the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer, scientists confirmed the composition of the fragments, which are part of a collection nicknamed 'Convict Lake' [S2:p2, S2:p3]. While Earth's sulfur crystals often stem from volcanic or hydrothermal activity, the exact geological process on Mars remains unknown. However, research suggests such sulfur may have formed roughly 3 billion years ago when subsurface magma released gases or fluids [S2:p4, S3:p2].
Source: Sulfur Crystals on Mars: Curiosity’s Happy Accident and Other Surprises (Live Public Talk)
