NASA's Curiosity rover has made an unexpected discovery on the surface of Mars, detecting deposits of pure sulfur in a region of the planet that scientists had not expected to contain the element in such concentrated form.
The discovery was made when the rover drove over a rock that cracked open to reveal yellow-green crystals that subsequent analysis confirmed to be elemental sulfur. The finding is significant because sulfur is an essential element for life and its presence in pure form suggests that the geological processes that concentrated it may have been more active and more recent than scientists had assumed.
Curiosity has been exploring Gale Crater since 2012 and has made a series of discoveries that have transformed scientists' understanding of the Martian environment, including evidence of ancient lakes, organic molecules and seasonal variations in methane. The sulfur discovery adds to that record and will inform the planning of future missions, including the Mars Sample Return programme.
The discovery was made in a region of the crater known as the Gediz Vallis channel, which scientists believe was carved by a mixture of water and debris flows. The presence of pure sulfur in this environment suggests that the chemistry of the ancient Martian surface was more complex and more dynamic than previously thought.
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