'Out of Nowhere': NASA’s Perseverance Rover Discovers ‘Skull Hill,’ a Strange Martian Rock Formation
NASA’s Perseverance rover discovered a mysterious, skull-shaped rock on Mars called “Skull Hill.” Its dark color and odd features suggest it may have formed far from where it was found.
NASA’s Perseverance rover has stumbled upon a strange and striking discovery on Mars — a dark, angular rock formation eerily resembling a skull. Spotted on April 11 during the rover’s descent of a slope dubbed Witch Hazel Hill, the unusual formation, now nicknamed “Skull Hill,” is raising questions among scientists about its origins.
The feature stands out starkly against the surrounding light-toned, dusty terrain of the Jezero Crater — a 28-mile-wide basin believed to have once held a lake. According to Margaret Deahn, a Ph.D. student at Purdue University working with NASA, “Skull Hill” appears dramatically out of place. “While most of the terrain is light-coloured and dusty, Skull Hill is dark, angular, and covered in tiny pits — as if it had been dropped there from somewhere else,” Deahn wrote in a blog post.
That idea might not be far off. Deahn explains that the rock could be what geologists refer to as “float” — material transported from its original location by processes such as erosion, ancient impacts, or powerful Martian winds.
Initially, the rock's unusual look had some wondering whether it might even be a meteorite. Similar dark rocks found in Gale Crater by the Curiosity rover were confirmed to be iron-nickel meteorites. But recent data collected by Perseverance’s SuperCam suggests a different story for Skull Hill — one not consistent with a meteoritic origin.
You can also read more about the meteorites previously found by the Curiosity rover in Gale Crater at this link: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/curiosity-mars-rover-checks-odd-looking-iron-meteorite. Still, the mystery is far from solved. “Alternatively, ‘Skull Hill’ could be an igneous rock eroded from a nearby outcrop or ejected from an impact crater,” NASA scientists note. The rock’s composition may hold the answer. Dark igneous rocks — often rich in iron and magnesium — contain minerals like olivine and pyroxene, and can be formed through volcanic activity.
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