It was picked up on July 21 during the rovers slow expedition of a region known as Neretva Vallis.
When Perseverance analyzed their chemical makeup, NASA scientists discovered that the black rings contained iron and phosphate.
The reactions also release energy that microbes can feed on.
Along with white calcium sulfate and red hematite, NASA’s Perseverance rover found small “leopard spots” that could be a sign of microbial life in a Martian rock.© NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
One possibility is that the rock was initially mud containing organic compounds that eventually turned into rock.
When fluid penetrated fissures in the rock, it brought mineral deposits that created the calcium veins and spots.
Another explanation comes from the presence of another mineral in Cheyava Falls: olivine, which forms in magma.
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