Rock on Mars may be a meteorite from another part of the Solar System

NASA’s Perseverance rover has discovered an unusual rock on the Martian surface that may be a meteorite originating from elsewhere in the Solar System, Daily Mail reported.

The 80-cm boulder, named “Phippsaksla”, was found on the edge of the 45-km Jezero Crater. Laser spectrometer analysis revealed extremely high concentrations of iron and nickel — a signature typical of iron-nickel meteorites formed in the cores of large asteroids.

“This combination of elements is usually associated with iron-nickel meteorites, suggesting an extra-Martian origin,” said Purdue University geologist Candice Bedford.

Jezero Crater is of particular scientific interest, as it may once have contained water. Although meteorite impacts on Mars are common, iron-nickel meteorites remain rare, representing only about 5% of all objects falling onto the planet.

In October, scientists at the Planetary Science Institute in Arizona proposed that liquid water may still exist beneath the Martian surface in narrow subsurface channels within frozen soil — potentially large enough to support microbial life.