Brief
NASA reports Curiosity rover finds disc‑shaped mineral formations on Mars
The Mars rover spotted new rock textures and scheduled instrument observations to study their mineralogy.
By Felo News Desk · Published
NASA’s Curiosity rover observed a sudden change in rock texture on Mars, encountering blocks covered with small disc‑shaped lumps, according to a blog post by planetary scientist Lucy Lim on Sept. 30, 2026.
The rover’s team noted that similar features had appeared earlier in the mission near the Pahrump Hills and in Earth settings where minerals precipitate from evaporating fluids. The disc‑like shapes may result from the growth habit of a specific crystalline mineral or from fragments of a harder rock layer that broke up.
For the upcoming week, the team scheduled Mastcam and MAHLI imaging of the disc‑shaped blocks (named “Yungay” and “Chiu Chiu”), as well as LIBS and APXS measurements on targets dubbed “Puya Raimondii,” “Liolaemus Tacnae,” “Pisqu Warkatana,” and “Salar de Vacas.” ChemCam’s long‑distance remote imager and Mastcam mosaics will also capture the surrounding strata to map sedimentary structures and assess the formation of Valle Grande.
Identifying the minerals will require data from Curiosity’s CheMin X‑ray diffraction instrument, meaning a drill campaign is planned. The rover has traveled over a kilometer since its last drill site at Campo Marte and will approach a new workspace near the disc‑shaped features, imaged as “Torres del Paine.” The team selected a drill target and a short drive to bring it within arm range for contact science and a potential preload test.
Lucy Lim, the Geology and Mineralogy Science Theme Lead, will resume planning on Monday for Drill Sol 1 (Triage Contact Science) to see how the investigation proceeds.
Key facts
- Curiosity rover observed blocks covered with small disc‑shaped mineral lumps on Mars. (nasa.gov)
- The team scheduled Mastcam, MAHLI, LIBS, APXS, and ChemCam observations of the new features. (nasa.gov)
- A drill campaign using CheMin is planned to identify the minerals. (nasa.gov)
- The rover has driven over a kilometer since its last drill site at Campo Marte. (nasa.gov)
- Lucy Lim will lead planning for Drill Sol 1 on the upcoming Monday. (nasa.gov)
Sources
- [1] nasa.gov — originally reported as “Curiosity Blog, Sols 5016–5021: Fantastic Minerals and How To Detect Them”
