The Rover Curiosity discovers a coral of several billion years old on Mars

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Rover curiosity discovers coral several:

-© in / JPL-Caltech / MSSS

The NASA Curiosity Rover recently captured an intriguing object on the surface of Mars: a small rock formation which, at first glance, resembles the corals found in the terrestrial oceans. Moreover, Behind this marine appearance. however, hides a geological vestige dating back to several billion years, shaped by water and the Martian wind.

A discovery photographed in the heart of the scab – Rover curiosity discovers coral several

On July 24. However, 2025, during the 4,608th Martian day (or floor) of its mission, Curiosity captured images in the scabs, a large depression of 154 kilometers in diameter, formed by the impact of a meteorite. Additionally, However, Among the images, one highlights rover curiosity discovers coral several a singularly eroded rock, nicknamed Paposo by the scientific team. Similarly,

Photographed just 5 centimeters from the lens of the Mahli camera (Mars Hand Lens Imager), installed at the end of the Rover robotic arm, this stone has openwork and tortuous shapes that recall a piece of fossilized coral. On the same day. the rover also used the micro -imaging remote integrated into its chemcam instrument to observe another rock similar to coral.

Inheritance of a moist March

According to the researchers. these small structures were formed several billion years ago, at a time when Mars still had rivers, lakes and probably a milder climate. The water which was then circulating infiltrated the cracks of the rock, placing dissolved minerals there. Over rover curiosity discovers coral several time, drying has left these mineralized deposits behind him, much more resistant than the surrounding rock.

Over the millennia. the incessant action of the Martian wind has eroded the most tender materials, bringing out these spectacular forms. Scientists specify that this phenomenon. also observed on Earth, has already produced other remarkable structures on Mars, such as a flower -shaped rock discovered by Curiosity in 2022.

-© in / JPL-Caltech / MSSS

The mission of Curiosity on Mars

Launched on November 26, 2011 and arrived in March 2012, Curiosity is the fourth American rover to explore March. Since his arrival, Curiosity has traveled almost 35 kilometers in the rover curiosity discovers coral several Gale crater. Located at the transition between the Highlands of the South. the Plains of the North, this site was chosen for its scientific potential.

Directed by the NASA Laboratory Propulsion Jet, its mission mobilizes nearly 500 scientists from the United States and other countries. Its objective is to determine if Mars has been able to offer an environment conducive to life in a. distant past. Investigations have already revealed the presence of carbon channels in rocks aged 3.7 billion years, and possible signs of an old carbon cycle.

A real mobile laboratory, this rover the size of a car is comparable in height to a basketball player. His articulated arm of 2.1 meters allows him to manipulate his instruments. whether to photograph, drill or analyze samples of rock, soil and even Martian air. In addition, the Rover Perseverance discovers a treasure “unique in its kind” on Mars.

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