The Curiosity Rover (NASA) captures close-up images of uniquely shaped mineral formations on Mars, including one resembling a flower.
Mineral formations resembling flowers and circular shapes on the surface of Mars. (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)
The Curiosity Rover from NASA photographed a strange object on the surface of Mars on February 25, or the 3,397th Martian day of its mission. Although it appears to look like a flower or an organic object, studies confirm that this is a mineral formation with a delicate structure formed by minerals precipitated from water.
Curiosity has previously observed similar structures, which are referred to as diagenetic crystal clusters. Diagenetic refers to the reorganization or rearrangement of minerals, and these structures are made up of three-dimensional clusters of crystals that can form from the combination of minerals.
According to Abigail Fraeman, a scientist involved in the Curiosity project, the structures seen before were formed from sulfate salts. Research indicates that they were originally embedded in rock, which eroded over time. Meanwhile, these mineral clusters appear to have a resistance to erosion.
Another name for this type of structure is concretion. The Opportunity Rover once captured images of unique concretions nicknamed “blueberries” due to their round and small shape. In the image taken on February 25 by Curiosity, these round concretions are also located next to the flower-like structure.
The team responsible for Curiosity has named the flower-shaped mineral formation “Gnarled Plum Salt.” To capture this close-up image, they used the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) tool of the rover. This imaging tool is an upgraded version of the magnifying glass that geologists often carry for field research. The close-up images from MAHLI reveal the minerals and textures of the Martian rock surface.
