NASA's Perseverance rover is currently exploring what scientists are calling a Martian "cornucopia" — a geologically rich region along the rim of Jezero Crater that has exceeded expectations in both diversity and scientific value. Since January, the rover has accelerated its science operations, marking the fastest pace of sample collection since landing on the Red Planet over four years ago.
This artist's concept shows the Perseverance Mars rover on the Red Planet. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
In the past few months alone, Perseverance has drilled five rock cores from the crater rim, sealing three for future return to Earth. It has also conducted close-up analysis of seven rocks and used its laser to study 83 more from a distance. The mission team is thrilled with the variety of rock types the rover is uncovering.
“Up on the crater rim, we’re seeing a whole new level of diversity,” said Katie Stack Morgan, project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “Everywhere the rover turns, there’s something scientifically unique and worthy of investigation.”
Perseverance reached the crater rim on December 12, 2024, after a three-and-a-half-month ascent of Jezero’s western wall. Since then, it has been climbing a 445-foot-tall slope dubbed “Witch Hazel Hill,” where it's encountering ancient rocks—some of which may have formed over 3.9 billion years ago.
One such sample, informally named Silver Mountain, was collected from a rock called Shallow Bay on January 28. Believed to date back to the Noachian period, this rock may have been altered during a powerful meteor impact that helped shape the crater.
Nearby, the rover attempted to core a mineral-rich outcrop featuring deep-crust igneous rocks but was thwarted by the sample’s crumbly texture. Undeterred, Perseverance moved on to another rock dubbed Tablelands, where it found something remarkable — serpentine minerals, formed through a water-driven chemical process known as serpentinization. On Earth, similar rocks can produce hydrogen gas and sometimes even support microbial life.
While coring Tablelands went off without a hitch, sealing the sample proved challenging due to fine dust blocking the tube’s closure. Engineers employed a series of maneuvers — including 33 brushings and eight sealing attempts over 13 Martian days — and eventually succeeded after a final “flick maneuver,” a technique that vibrates the sample tube clean.
A few days later, the rover easily sealed its third rim sample from a visually striking rock named Main River, noted for its unusual alternating light and dark bands.
Since then, Perseverance has been analyzing additional outcrops — Sally’s Cove, Dennis Pond, and Mount Pearl — as it continues its investigation of Witch Hazel Hill.
“The past four months have been a whirlwind for the science team,” Stack said. “We’re still uncovering new mysteries, and there’s more to explore. Crater rims — you gotta love ‘em.”
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