Cheyava Falls

On July 21, 2024, NASA's Perseverance rover analyzed a rock named 'Cheyava Falls' and found something unprecedented: millimeter-sized, off-white splotches surrounded by black rings, resembling leopard spots. On Earth, these patterns form when chemical reactions involving hematite turn rock from red to white, releasing iron and phosphate—energy sources for microbes.

The rock presents a 'triad' of promising signs: organic molecules, the leopard spots indicating chemical energy transfer, and calcium sulfate veins suggesting the presence of water. While non-biological processes can also create these features, finding them all together in an ancient river valley makes Cheyava Falls a prime candidate for sample return and further study.