Mars Rover accidentally ran over a rock and broke it open — revealing mysterious yellow crystals inside More life-related ...

Scientists nicknamed the 5-inch sample of yellow sulfur crystals "Convict Lake" after a lake in California's Sierra Nevada mountains, according to NASA. Curiosity snapped photos of the piece of ...

Until now, pure sulfur had never been detected on the Red Planet. Scientists had suspicions that pure sulfur existed somewhere on Mars but did not expect to find it inside surface rocks.

Pure sulfur only forms under certain conditions on Earth, such as volcanic processes or in hot or cold springs. Depending on the process, different minerals are created at the same time as the sulfur.

Curiosity has been roaming Mars since 2012. NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS / SWNS “No one had pure sulfur on their bingo card,” Vasavada said. Sulfur rocks are usually “beautiful, translucent and ...

NASA scientists say pure sulfur has been found on Mars for the first time after the Curiosity rover inadvertently uncovered a cluster of yellow crystals when it drove over a rock.

The sulfur crystals, as seen on May 30, are elemental sulfur, or pure sulfur. Curiosity determined what the crystals were made of. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS ...

Yellow sulfur crystals captured by a camera onboard the Curiosity Rover. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS. NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover ran over a rock, which cracked open to reveal pure sulfur crystals.

Pure sulfur, on the other hand, only forms under a very narrow set of conditions, which are not known to have occurred in the region of Mars where Curiosity made its discovery.

Yellow sulfur crystals revealed after NASA’s Curiosity cracked open a rock. Inset: a stock image of Mars. It’s the first time this kind of sulfur has been found on Mars.

Pure sulfur, on the other hand, only forms under a very narrow set of conditions, which are not known to have occurred in the region of Mars where Curiosity made its discovery.