Exploring the ancient river channel Neretva Vallis, Perseverance has arrived at “Bright Angel”, an exposure of light-toned rock which stands out vividly in orbital imagery.

NASA takes up the story:

After months of driving, Perseverance has finally arrived at ‘Bright Angel’, discovering oddly textured rock unlike any the rover has seen before. The team now plans to drive up the slope to uncover the origin of this rock sequence and its relationship to the margin unit.

…Perseverance arrived at the base of this outcrop on sol 1175, and geologists on the science team were mesmerized by the strange textures of the light toned rocks found there.

These rocks are filled with sharp ridges that resemble the mineral veins found at the base of the fan, but there appears to be more of them here.

Additionally, some rocks are densely packed with small spheres, and we’ve jokingly referred to this as a ‘popcorn’-like texture. Together, these features suggest that groundwater flowed through these rocks after they were laid down.

Hemani Kalucha, Ph.D. student at Caltech:

Upon the rover’s arrival at Bright Angel – where Perseverance encountered unusual popcorn-like textures – it was so exciting to see all the interesting features in the rocks of this interval! In particular, these rocks contain an abundance of veins and nodules. Veins are linear features containing mineral crystals that often form thin plates or sheets that cut through the rocks and across other veins. Veins are often more resistant to erosion than the rocks they are found in so they stand out in raised relief. Nodules are small, rounded protrusions in the rocks. Nodules are often sites of mineral formation distinct from the surrounding rock.

Veins and nodules form when water flows through a rock, and minerals crystallize from this water in cracks and empty spaces within the rock. Features like this were previously observed by Perseverance during its exploration of the sedimentary rocks of the western fan, particularly during the “Fan Front Campaign” at Hogwallow Flats. However, these features have been sparse in the margin unit. The omnipresence of veins and nodules in the rocks of Bright Angel is truly striking. We hope to get more data on these interesting features over the next few weeks because they may signify intense water-rock interaction at this site!

Good.

Still waiting for a drone to map stratigraphy in the Valles Marineris.

dv said:

Good.

Still waiting for a drone to map stratigraphy in the Valles Marineris.

Yes, when the billionaires of the future first see it up close they will think it is worth the money to see it.
The marsonauts will just smile.