Skull-shaped rock found on Mars: NASA investigates mysterious formation

NASA’s Perseverance rover discovered a strange skull-shaped rock formation on April 11 while exploring a ridge known as Witch Hazel Hill. The ridge is located within Jezero Crater, a massive 28-mile-wide basin that scientists believe was once an ancient lake.

Unlike the surrounding terrain, which is mostly light-coloured and dusty, the area around the rock—dubbed “Skull Hill”—is darker, more angular, and features tiny pits. According to Margaret Deahn, a PhD student at Purdue University working with NASA, the texture and colour of Skull Hill suggests it may have been transported from somewhere else.

As per the research team, the rock could have been displaced by erosion, an ancient impact event, or another natural process. In addition to Skull Hill, the Perseverance rover has encountered several unusual rocks that appear to have originated elsewhere and been carried to their current locations. 

Skull Hill was thought to be a meteorite. However, after Perseverance’s laser-powered SuperCam analysed the nearby rocks’ chemical composition, NASA scientists found no elevated levels of iron or nickel—common indicators of meteorites. This ruled out the possibility that it came from space.

A leading theory now suggests that Skull Hill is an igneous rock, possibly formed by cooling lava or magma millions or even billions of years ago.

Scientists are hopeful that finding more of these geological anomalies will offer new insights into Mars’ watery past, its climate history, and potentially, signs of ancient life.