NASA has found an unusual boulder on Mars that may shed light on the planet's past. Photo

In the Jezero crater on Mars, NASA's Perseverance rover spotted an unusually light stone. Scientists have never seen anything like it on the Red Planet before. According to the project's researchers, the strange boulder may hint at new details of Mars' ancient past.

The rock, named "Atoko Point" after a similarly light feature of the Grand Canyon, stands out clearly among all the darker boulders dotting the search area near Mount Washburn in the crater. Scientists first saw the stone as part of a mosaic of 18 images taken on May 27, Live Science reports.

Atoko Point is estimated to be 45 centimeters wide and 35 centimeters high. Using the rover's camera instruments, SuperCam and Mastcam-Z, the scientists confirmed that the rock is composed of pyroxene and feldspar. The team speculated that the pale stone may have been transported from another part of the planet via an ancient river or formed underground by a body of magma before finally being exposed through erosion.

"The variety of textures and compositions on Mount Washburn was an exciting discovery for the team, as these rocks represent a bag of geological gifts brought from the crater rim and possibly beyond," Brad Garczynski, co-author and leader of the current science campaign, commented in a statement from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The researchers added that although Atoko is the "first of its kind" to be spotted on Mars, it almost certainly "will not be the last" as Perseverance continues its mission to the edge of Jezero Crater.

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