So, like, NASA’s Perseverance rover has been cruising around Mars and it captured some sick tracks on its navigation camera, coming from a place called “Witch Hazel Hill.” It went down on May 13, 2025, which was like the 1,503rd Martian day of the mission. The image credit goes to NASA/JPL-Caltech, in case you were wondering.
The rover has now rolled into a new spot that could be like the jackpot of Mars rocks. They’re saying it’s one of the oldest and most interesting regions on the Red Planet. Perseverance touched down in Jezero Crater back in February 2021, ready to hunt for signs of past Martian life and gather up loads of samples to bring back to Earth. It’s been on the move for over four years now, and it’s just hit up this new area called Krokodillen, which is like a plateau with a bunch of rocky outcrops. The science team decided to name it after a mountain ridge in Norway, ’cause why not, right? Krokodillen means “crocodile” in Norwegian, in case you were curious.
This spot is a big deal because it’s like the meeting point between the old rocks at Jezero’s rim and the plains beyond. It’s got clay minerals that are usually formed in the presence of liquid water, so it’s got people thinking that maybe, just maybe, this place could have been habitable back in the day. These rocks are super ancient, dating back to Mars’ earliest geologic period, the Noachian. Ken Farley, the deputy project scientist for Perseverance, even mentioned that if they find any signs of life here, it would be from a whole different era compared to what they found last year at Cheyava Falls. Not really sure why this matters, but hey, it’s cool to think about, right?
