NASA’s Perseverance rover has reached a scientifically thrilling region on Mars called Krokodillen, where some of the planet’s oldest rocks may hold vital clues about early Martian environments — possibly even ancient life.
Exploring Krokodillen: A New Martian Frontier NASA’s Perseverance rover has started exploring a brand new area on Mars called “Krokodillen,” and scientists are excited.
“The Krokodillen rocks formed before Jezero Crater was created, during Mars’ earliest geologic period, the Noachian, and are among the oldest rocks on Mars.
NASA program scientist Lindsay Hays explains what defines potential signs of ancient life on other worlds and why they require future study.
NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover is searching for these signs, collecting samples for future return to Earth, and helping pave the way for human exploration.
NASA’s Perseverance rover has arrived in Krokodillen, a scientifically fascinating area of Mars where some of the planet’s oldest rocks may contain important hints about early Martian environments, possibly even ancient life.
The site, which is rich in clay, olivine, and carbonate minerals, offers valuable information about Mars’s wet past, particularly during the Noachian period.
A New Martian Frontier: Investigating Krokodillen.
Scientists are thrilled as NASA’s Perseverance rover begins exploring “Krokodillen,” a brand-new region on Mars. Some of the oldest rocks discovered on the Red Planet may be found in this rocky area. It is a prime location for discovering mysteries about Mars’ distant past because it marks a crucial border between the plains beyond and the rocky rim of Jezero Crater.
Ken Farley, a deputy project scientist for Perseverance at Caltech in Pasadena, described the past five months as a geologic whirlwind. Just as successful as our investigation of “Witch Hazel Hill,” we anticipate that our analysis of Krokodillen will be equally fascinating. “”.
Krokodillen, which translates to “the crocodile” in Norwegian, is named after a mountain ridge in that country. It is located immediately downslope from Witch Hazel Hill and covers 73 acres of rocky terrain. However, what lies beneath the rocks is what really sets this location apart.
Ancient Clays by Krokodillen: Signs of Life and Water.
According to preliminary research, the bedrock of Krokodillen contains clay minerals. This is significant because clays can only form when there is liquid water present, suggesting that this region may have been moist billions of years ago. This was probably before an asteroid impact created Jezero Crater. The chemical foundation of life on Earth, organic compounds, are also well preserved by clay.
Farley said, “If we find a potential biosignature here, it would most likely be from an entirely different and much earlier epoch of Mars evolution than the one we found last year in the crater with ‘Cheyava Falls,’” because the rock was sampled in July 2024 and had chemical signatures and structures that might have been formed by life a long time ago. Among the oldest rocks on Mars, the Krokodillen formed during the Noachian, the planet’s earliest geologic period, before Jezero Crater was formed.
NASA program scientist Lindsay Hays describes what constitutes possible evidence of extraterrestrial life and why further research is necessary. These indicators are being sought by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover, which is also assisting in the preparation of the way for human exploration by gathering samples for a future return to Earth. NASA and JPL-Caltech are credited.
The Chemistry of Martian Rocks: Olivine and Carbonates.
According to data gathered from NASA’s Mars orbiters, there might be olivine and carbonate-rich regions on Krokodillen’s outer edges. On Earth, carbonate minerals are usually formed when rock and dissolved carbon dioxide react in liquid water, although olivine is formed from magma. Earth’s carbonate minerals are renowned for their exceptional ability to record the climate of the past and preserve fossilized ancient microbiological life.
On May 9, the rover commemorated its 1,500th day of surface operations. At the moment, it is examining “Copper Cove,” a rocky outcrop in Krokodillen that might contain Noachian rocks.
Following its arrival at Krokodillen, the nuclear-powered rover will now have a new sampling strategy that permits some cored samples to remain unsealed in the event that the mission later discovers a geologic feature that is more compelling from a scientific standpoint.
A Case of the Unsealed Tube and Bell Island.
Two regolith (crushed rock and dust) samples, three witness tubes, and one atmospheric sample have all been gathered and sealed by Perseverance thus far. Additionally, it has sealed 25 of the 26 rock cores that it has collected. A rock core taken on April 28 and dubbed “Bell Island” by the team, which contains tiny round stones known as spherules, is the rover’s most recent unsealed sample. The rover could be instructed to take the tube out of its storage bin and discard the old sample if the scientific team determines later that a new one should be used in its place.
Katie Stack Morgan, an acting project scientist for Perseverance at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, stated, “We have been exploring Mars for more than four years, and every single filled sample tube we have on board has its own unique and compelling story to tell.”. We’re going to leave some tubes, including the one holding the Bell Island core, unsealed for the time being because there are still seven empty sample tubes and a large stretch of open road ahead of us. We can be as flexible as possible with this approach as we continue to gather interesting and varied rock samples. “.”.
Clean Enough: Preserving the integrity of the samples.
Prior to implementing its new approach, the engineering sample team evaluated whether a tube’s quality could be affected by being left open. No, was the response.
When the rover was constructed, the interior environment complied with extremely stringent cleanliness requirements. Additionally, the tube is positioned within its own storage bin so that there is very little chance of unneeded material getting inside during upcoming drives and sampling operations, according to Stack Morgan.
The group also evaluated the possibility that leftovers from a discarded sample might “contaminate” a subsequent sample. According to Stack Morgan, “there is a possibility that any material left in the tube from the prior sample could come into contact with the outside of a new sample, but it is a very minor concern — and a worthwhile exchange for the opportunity to collect the best and most compelling samples when we find them.”. “”.
The goal of NASA’s most sophisticated Mars rover, Perseverance, is to investigate the Red Planet’s surface and look for evidence of prehistoric life. On February 18, 2021, it made a successful landing in Jezero Crater after launching on July 30, 2020.
Perseverance is examining the geology, climate, and past habitability of Mars using state-of-the-art scientific equipment. Gathering and storing samples of rock and soil that might eventually be brought back to Earth by a subsequent mission is one of the main objectives. Additionally, Ingenuity, a tiny experimental helicopter that accomplished the first powered flight on a different planet, is carried by the rover.
Scientists are using perseverance to piece together the environmental history of Mars, particularly by examining crater rims, ancient river deltas, and areas rich in carbonate and clay minerals, which are essential for life. The mission is a component of NASA’s larger endeavor to open the door for future human Mars exploration.
