A mysterious black-and-white striped rock recently spotted on Mars is unlike any seen on the Red Planet before, which has NASA excited. The space agency's Perseverance rover caught sight of the "zebra rock" while driving across a mundane pebbly terrain on Mars' Jezero Crater on Sept.

Freya Castle is believed to be a metamorphic rock, which if true could give more detailed information about Mars' volcanic past.

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The reason scientists want the rover to explore the rim in the first place is for its potential to be littered with ancient Martian bedrock rubble. Jezero Crater formed when something substantial smacked into Mars billions of years ago. The impact could have churned up and tossed deep materials to the surface.

Perseverance discovered a zebra rock on the Martian surface, and scientists are still trying to figure out where it came from.

While climbing a crater rim, NASA's Perseverance Mars rover spotted a curious striped rock that may have rolled from farther uphill, hinting at treasures the robotic explorer has yet to find.

NASA's Martian rovers, Perseverance and Curiosity, had an exceptional summer, detecting rocks with potential signs of ancient life, complex geology, and the planet's original crust.

NASA's Curiosity rover has encountered patches of sharp “gator-back” rocks causing mission planners to look for a new route to continue exploring Mount Sharp. Credit: Space.com | footage courtesy: NAS