In 2024, the Mars Curiosity rover came across an unexpected sight: a large field of light-colored, fist-sized stones. Readings from the rover’s X-ray spectrometer showed that the rocks were pure, or “native,” sulfur, a surprising first-of-its-kind discovery.
“These sulfur stones formed roughly 3 billion years ago,” said Scott VanBommel, a research assistant professor of earth, environmental and planetary sciences (EEPS) and a fellow of the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences, all in WashU Arts & Sciences. “It’s a remarkable find.”
The discovery of pure Martian sulfur was the cover story in the Aug. 20 issue of Science. VanBommel co-led the study with Jeff Berger, a geochemist based at Johnson Space Center in Houston. VanBommel stresses that the work was a team effort, dating back to the design of the now-teenaged Curiosity rover before its launch in 2011. Co-authors on the study included EEPS staff scientist Abigail Knight and EEPS postdoctoral researcher John Christian.
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