PARIS: Analysis shows that here are already signs of a surprising amount of jarosite, a sign that Mars was acidic in the past.
Jarosite is an oxidized mineral, made up of iron and sulfur, and known to form in acidic environments. It was first found at Confidence Hills, the first site where Curiosity made its drill back in September.
For the second drilling, Mojave was selected because of its unusual conditions of the rock surface. The rock has “slender features,” due to possible presence of salt-mineral crystals.
Curiosity is being controlled by engineers at the Jet Propulsion Lab. During drilling, Curiosity accidentally shattered the surface of Mojave hence it might need to look for another one that looks like Mojave.
According to the engineers, the 2.6 inches rock was drilled down in ten minutes making scientists believe that it is soft.
Despite the presence of jarosite, the reason why it is present on the Martian rocks remain a mystery to the scientists. It could be that more acidic water at the Mojave 2 site was simply part of the environmental conditions there back when the sediments were first deposited or they may have been introduced later, by a secondary fluid that soaked the site.
Aside from Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin), Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument is also making its own analysis about the powdered rock. The result of SAM’s analysis will be about the chemical assessment of the rock and its make-up.
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