Mysterious ‘Skull Hill’ Rock Found by Perseverance Rover on Mars

NASA’s Perseverance rover recently captured a striking image of a dark-toned rock nicknamed Skull Hill while navigating the lower slopes of Witch Hazel Hill in Mars’ Jezero Crater. The discovery was made near a geological boundary called Port Anson, where light and dark rock formations meet.

This isolated float rock stands out sharply against its pale surroundings and appears unrelated to the local bedrock. That suggests it may have been transported from another location. The team is now investigating its origin using the rover’s onboard instruments to analyse its structure and chemical makeup.

Clues Hint at Non-Meteorite Origins

While Skull Hill’s dark colour resembles meteorites previously found by the Curiosity rover in Gale Crater, early readings from Perseverance’s SuperCam suggest a different story. Typical Martian meteorites contain high levels of iron and nickel, which are not present in this sample.

Scientists now suspect Skull Hill could be an igneous rock that formed from cooled magma, potentially eroded from nearby terrain or ejected by an impact. Such rocks often contain dark minerals like olivine or pyroxene, which may account for its appearance.

“The team is working to better understand where these rocks came from and how they got here,” NASA noted. Pits observed on the rock’s surface may have resulted from wind erosion or the removal of small embedded fragments.

Further analysis is ongoing. Each new clue adds to the growing picture of Mars’ geological complexity.