NASA's Curiosity Rover Discovers Pure Sulfur on Mars, Unveiling New Planetary Mysteries

NASA's Curiosity Rover Discovers Pure Sulfur on Mars, Unveiling New Planetary Mysteries
Image credit: NASA 

NASA scientists have announced the discovery of pure sulfur on Mars for the first time, thanks to the Curiosity rover inadvertently uncovering a cluster of yellow crystals while driving over a rock. This finding is unexpected because, although minerals containing sulfur have been observed on Mars, elemental sulfur had never been seen there before. According to NASA, "It forms in only a narrow range of conditions that scientists haven’t associated with the history of this location."

Curiosity cracked open the rock on May 30 while exploring the Gediz Vallis channel, a region believed to have been carved by water and debris flows long ago. Similar rocks were seen throughout the area. "Finding a field of stones made of pure sulfur is like finding an oasis in the desert," said Ashwin Vasavada, Curiosity’s project scientist. "It shouldn’t be there, so now we have to explain it. Discovering strange and unexpected things is what makes planetary exploration so exciting."

Upon spotting the yellow crystals, the team used a camera on Curiosity’s robotic arm to examine them closely. The rover then took a sample from a different rock nearby, as the pieces of the rock it had smashed were too brittle for drilling. Curiosity's Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) confirmed the presence of elemental sulfur. Equipped with instruments to analyze the composition of rocks and soil, Curiosity continues to provide valuable insights into Mars's geological history.