Weird 'zebra rock' on Mars is unlike anything seen before on Red Planet, NASA says

NASA's Perseverance rover has spotted a funky "zebra rock" on Mars' Jezero crater that's nothing like any rock seen on the Red Planet before.

The rover captured images of the black-and-white striped rock earlier this month using a camera mounted high on its mast. NASA scientists acquired the images Sept. 13, after Perseverance had already left the area, according to a statement.

The rock, which scientists dubbed "Freya Castle," has a never-before-seen texture. "Our knowledge of its chemical composition is limited, but early interpretations are that igneous and/or metamorphic processes could have created its stripes," NASA representatives wrote in the statement.

Igneous processes are those related to the crystallization of magma, while metamorphic processes are changes in the composition of rocks due to high heat and pressure.

Freya Castle measures roughly 8 inches (20 centimeters) across. The zebra rock is loose and different from the underlying bedrock, suggesting it originated from somewhere else, according to the statement.

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One possibility is that the rock may have rolled down from farther up the crater. "This possibility has us excited," NASA representatives said. "We hope that as we continue to drive uphill, Perseverance will encounter an outcrop of this new rock type so that more detailed measurements can be acquired."