NASA's Curiosity rover has discovered an abundance of pure sulfur on Mars after it recently drove over a rock and cracked it ...

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.

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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.

NASA's Curiosity rover accidentally and unexpectedly discovered pure sulfur hiding in plain sight, blending in with the Red Planet's surface. Saturday, Jun 21, 2025. New Delhi o C.

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.

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.