Explore This SectionPerseverance HomeMission OverviewRover ComponentsMars Rock SamplesWhere is Perseverance?Ingenuity Mars HelicopterMission UpdatesScienceOverviewObjectivesInstruments Highlights Exploration GoalsNews and FeaturesMultimediaPerseverance Raw ImagesImagesVideosAudioMore ResourcesMars MissionsMars Perseverance RoverMars Curiosity RoverMars Reconnaissance OrbiterMars OdysseyMore Mars MissionsMars HomeNASA’s Perseverance rover acquired this image of some light-toned boulders scattered across a hillside of a region called “Lac de Charmes,” beyond the western rim of Jezero crater. Perseverance captured the image using its Right Mastcam-Z camera on Aug. 30, 2026 (Sol 1965, or Martian day 1,965 of the Mars 2020 mission) at the local mean solar time of 11:42:55.NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASUWritten by Alex Jones, Ph.D. candidate at Imperial College LondonSept. 29, 2026After spending the last six months exploring “Lac de Charmes,” a region of ancient rock beyond Jezero crater’s western rim, Perseverance has stumbled upon a vast field of light-toned rocks peppering the Martian surface. Light-colored rocks are a strange sight on Mars, a planet dominated by dark-colored basaltic rocks. This many light-colored rocks in one place piqued the Science Team’s interest… what are they? How did they get here? To answer the first question, Perseverance has been investigating the composition and textures of these rocks. Data so far indicates that many of them are igneous rocks called gabbro, which are dominated by minerals rich in iron and magnesium. Such rocks typically form by slow cooling and crystallization of magma deep in the crust. So how did these deep fragments of Mars find their way to the surface? Perseverance has spent the last week trying to answer this question by investigating a patch of possible bedrock poking out between the light-toned boulders and loose regolith. Initial images suggest that the rock is made up of light- and dark-colored, angular fragments of rock, forming what geologists call a breccia. One possibility the team is investigating is that the light-toned boulders scattered across the hillside have eroded out of this breccia. Perseverance deploys its arm mounted instruments to investigate a possible breccia outcrop at “Idubi.” The rover acquired this image of the area in front of it using its onboard Front Right Hazard Avoidance Camera A on Sept. 27, 2026 (Sol 1992, or Martian day 1,992 of the Mars 2020 mission) at the local mean solar time of 12:03:10.NASA/JPL-CaltechBreccias often form through violent processes involving the fracturing and transport of rock to produce their angular shapes. Layers of breccia observed outside Jezero have previously been attributed to asteroid impacts on early Mars. Perhaps similar impacts (or the Jezero impact itself?) could be responsible for digging up these light-colored blocks. Only time (and of course, Perseverance), will tell. Want to read more posts from the Perseverance team?Visit Mission UpdatesWant to learn more about Perseverance’s science instruments?Visit the Science Instruments pageExplore More2 min readCuriosity Blog, Sols 5029-5035: Back in the LabArticle36 minutes ago3 min readCuriosity Blog, Sols 5022-5028: Cashing in at Cache CreekArticle1 day ago3 min readCuriosity Blog, Sols 5016–5021: Fantastic Minerals and How To Detect ThemArticle5 days agoKeep ExploringDiscover More Topics From NASAAll Mars ResourcesExplore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,…Rover BasicsEach robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a…Mars Exploration: Science GoalsThe key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four…Mars Perseverance RoverThe Mars Perseverance rover is the first leg the Mars Sample Return Campaign’s interplanetary relay team. Its job is to…