Elemental Surprise on Mars: NASA's Curiosity Rover Discovers Pure Sulfur Crystals, Challenging Previous Geological Theories

Inadvertently crushing a boulder on Mars on May 30, NASA's Curiosity rover discovered pure sulphur crystals for the first time.

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Curiosity investigates historical floods and landslides at Gediz Vallis, a valley that winds around Mount Sharp.

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Curiosity's onboard equipment verified the existence of elemental sulphur, a ground-breaking finding for Martian geology.

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Recent hints point to the possibility that the debris mounds in Gediz Vallis were formed in part by nearby landslides as well as water flows.

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More crystalline patterns and elemental sulphur were seen in a photograph of a rock known as "Snow Lake" that the rover took on June 8.

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In an effort to get more information on Martian materials, Curiosity bored its 41st hole in a rock known as "Mammoth Lakes" on June 18.

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Curiosity has been investigating a sulfate-rich area since October 2023, but discovering pure sulphur rocks was an unanticipated diversion.

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The finding of elemental sulphur on Mars is a fascinating puzzle for scientists to tackle because it is odourless and only occurs under certain circumstances.

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