An unexpected splash of yellow on the red planet
The Curiosity rover has found something surprising: rocks made of pure sulfur.NASA revealed the find in a post last week, recounting how the rover was trundling up the Gediz Vallis channel – a formation it's thought was carved by a river around three billion years ago. The channel is of interest as the ridges offer a good look at plenty of layers of Martian rock.The channel is a known source of sulfates: salty stuff that forms when water evaporates. The presence of sulfates is another reason we're visiting Gediz Vallis channel.As Curiosity went about its business, the rolling lab crushed a rock that, upon further inspection, was found to be composed entirely of pure sulfur.