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Perseverance Reveals Ancient Igneous Rocks Beyond Jezero in New Images

The findings point to Mars’ deep early crust.

Overview

  • NASA on Tuesday released a 61‑frame selfie from March 11 that shows Perseverance at the Arethusa outcrop during its farthest west work beyond Jezero Crater.
  • Perseverance used its WATSON arm camera, making 62 precise moves, to document an abrasion patch where the team found igneous minerals that likely formed before the crater.
  • After abrading the surface—grinding a small spot to expose fresh rock—the team identified material that formed from cooling magma, a clue to very old crust.
  • A 46‑image Mastcam‑Z panorama from April 5 of the nearby Arbot area highlights diverse textures the team interprets as megabreccia and a possible volcanic dike.
  • The rover, now in its Northern Rim Campaign, reports 62 rocks abraded, 27 cores collected, and nearly 26 miles driven, with planned drives to Gardevarri and then Singing Canyon.