This is an alphabetical list of named rocks (and meteorites) found on Mars, by mission. This list is a sampling of rocks viewed, and is not an exhaustive listing. A more complete listing may be found on the various NASA mission web sites. This listing does not include Martian meteorites found on Earth.
Names for Mars rocks are largely unofficial designations used for ease of discussion purposes, as the International Astronomical Union's official Martian naming system declares that objects smaller than 100 m (330 ft) are not to be given official names. Because of this, some less significant rocks seen in photos returned by Mars rovers have been named more than once, and others have even had their names changed later due to conflicts or even matters of opinion. Often rocks are named after the children or family members of astronauts or NASA employees. The name Jazzy, for example, was taken from a girl named Jazzy who grew up in Grand Junction, Colorado, USA. Her father worked for NASA and contributed to the findings and naming of the rocks.
1976 – Viking program: Viking 1 and Viking 2 landersedit
Viking 1 Lander – July 20, 1976; Last Earth Contact – November 13, 1982.[1][2] Viking 1 was operational on Mars for 2245 sols (2307 days; 6 years, 116 days).
Mars landing coordinates: 22°29′N49°58′W / 22.48°N 49.97°W / 22.48; -49.97 (Viking 1 lander)[1]
Bashful
Big Joe
Delta
Dopey
Grumpy
Metate 1
Metate 2
Midas Muffler
Patch
Sleepy
Sponge
Whale
Viking 2 Lander – September 3, 1976; Last Earth Contact – April 11, 1980.[1][3] Viking 2 was operational on Mars for 1281 sols (1316 days; 3 years, 221 days).
Mars landing coordinates: 47°58′N225°44′W / 47.97°N 225.74°W / 47.97; -225.74 (Viking 2 lander)[1] (Raw Images - Camera/Sol and 1-JPL and 2-JPL + NASA Image Viewer.)
Bonneville
Centaur
Doc
Happy
Icl
Mr. Badger
Mr. Mole
Mr. Rat
Mr. Toad
Notch
Other
Plymouth
Sneezy
Snow White
Titan
Big Joe rock on Mars – viewed by the Viking 1 Lander (February 11, 1978).
Big Joe rock on Mars – viewed by the Viking 1 Lander (February 11, 1978).
Big Joe rock on Mars – viewed by the Viking 1 Lander.
Rocks on Mars – viewed by the Viking 1 Lander (July 21, 1976).
Rocks on Mars – viewed by the Viking 2 Lander (September 5, 1976).
Rocks on Mars – viewed by the Viking 2 Lander (September 25, 1977).
Panorama of rocks near the Viking 1 Lander (July 20, 1976) - First "clear" image ever transmitted from the surface of Mars.
Panorama of rocks near the Viking 1 Lander (July 23, 1976).
Panorama of rocks near the Viking 2 Lander (1976).
1997 – Sojourner rover (Mars Pathfinder)edit
Sojourner rover – July 4, 1997; Last Earth Contact – September 27, 1997.[4] Sojourner was operational on Mars for 92 sols (95 days; 95 days).
Mars landing coordinates: 19°7′48″N33°13′12″W / 19.13000°N 33.22000°W / 19.13000; -33.22000 (Sojourner rover (Mars Pathfinder)) (Raw Images - 1-Camera/Sol and 2-Camera/Sol and 3-Camera/Sol and 1-JPL and 2-JPL + NASA Image Viewer.)
Rover Map of Sojourner's route on Mars (Sol 83, 1997) (Archive).
Barnacle Bill rock on Mars – near the Sojourner rover.
Barnacle Bill rock on Mars - viewed by the Sojourner rover.
Yogi rock (circled) on Mars – near the Sojourner rover.
Yogi rock on Mars – analyzed by the Sojourner rover.
Yogi rock on Mars - viewed by the Sojourner rover.
Panorama of rocks near the Sojourner rover (July 10, 1997).
Panorama of rocks near the Sojourner rover (December 5, 1997).
2004 – Spirit rover (MER-A)edit
Spirit Rover – January 4, 2004; Last Earth Contact – May 25, 2011.[5] Spirit was operational on Mars for 2208 sols (2249 days; 6 years, 77 days).
Mars landing coordinates: 14°34′06″S175°28′21″E / 14.5684°S 175.472636°E / -14.5684; 175.472636 (Spirit rover)[6] (Raw Images - Camera/Sol and JPL + NASA Image Viewer.)
"Pot of Gold" rock on Mars – viewed by the Spirit rover.
Panorama of rocks near the Spirit rover – Gusev Crater "Winter Haven" ("McMurdo") (August 17, 2006) (high-resolution description).
Panorama of rocks near the Spirit rover – Gusev Crater (August 5, 2004).
2004 – Opportunity rover (MER-B)edit
Opportunity rover – January 25, 2004; Last Earth Contact June 10, 2018.[7][8] Opportunity was operational on Mars for 5110 sols (5250 days; 14 years, 136 days).
Mars landing coordinates: 1°56′46″S354°28′24″E / 1.9462°S 354.4734°E / -1.9462; 354.4734 (Opportunity rover)[6] (Raw Images - Camera/Sol and JPL + NASA Image Viewer.)
Curiosity rover – August 6, 2012; Gale crater; CURRENTLY ACTIVE.[13]
As of April 19, 2024, Curiosity has been active for 4160 sols (4274 total days; 11 years, 257 days).
Mars landing coordinates: 4°35′22″S137°26′30″E / 4.5895°S 137.4417°E / -4.5895; 137.4417 (Curiosity rover) (4°35′22.2″S137°26′30.1194″E / 4.589500°S 137.441699833°E / -4.589500; 137.441699833 (Curiosity rover)) (Raw Images - Camera and Sol and 1-JPL and 2-JPL + NASA Image Viewer.)
Panorama of rocks and drilling sites near the Curiosity rover at Yellowknife Bay (December 24, 2012).
Panorama of rocks in "Hidden Valley" near the "Pahrump Hills" on Mount Sharp as viewed by the Curiosity rover (September 11, 2014).
Panorama of rocks at the "Mojave" site on Mount Sharp (January 31, 2015).
Panorama of the rocky slopes of Mount Sharp (September 9, 2015).
Panorama of rocks near the Curiosity rover – at Yellowknife Bay around sunset (February 2013; Sun simulated by artist).
2018 – InSight landeredit
InSight lander – May 8, 2018; Elysium Planitia; CURRENTLY ACTIVE.
As of April 19, 2024, InSight has been active for 1918 sols (1971 days; 5 years, 145 days).
Mars landing coordinates: 4°30′09″N135°37′24″E / 4.5024°N 135.6234°E / 4.5024; 135.6234 (InSight lander) (4°30′8.6394″N135°37′24.24″E / 4.502399833°N 135.6234000°E / 4.502399833; 135.6234000 (InSight lander)) (Raw Images - NASA and JPL + NASA Image Viewer.)
Panorama of InSight lander landing site (December 9, 2018)
2021 – Perseverance rover (Mars 2020)edit
Perseverance rover – February 18, 2021; Jezero crater; CURRENTLY ACTIVE.
As of April 19, 2024, Perseverance has been active for 1125 sols (1156 total days; 3 years, 61 days).
Mars landing coordinates: 18°26′41″N77°27′03″E / 18.4447°N 77.4508°E / 18.4447; 77.4508 (Peseverance rover) (18°26′40.92″N77°27′2.88″E / 18.4447000°N 77.4508000°E / 18.4447000; 77.4508000 (Curiosity rover)) (Raw Images - Camera and Sol and 1-JPL + 2-JPL + 3-JPL + NASA Image Viewer.)
Rootless cones on Mars – due to lava flows interacting with water (MRO; January 4, 2013) (21°57′54″N197°48′25″E / 21.965°N 197.807°E / 21.965; 197.807).
^ abStaff. "Mapping the Mars Rovers' Landing Sites". Esri. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
^Agle, DC; Brown, Dwayne; Wendel, JoAnna (13 February 2019). "NASA's Opportunity Rover Mission on Mars Comes to End". NASA. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
^Chang, Kenneth (7 June 2013). "Martian Rock Another Clue to a Once Water-Rich Planet". New York Times. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
^ abcO'Neill, Ian (January 17, 2014). "Mystery Rock 'Appears' in Front of Mars Rover". Space.com. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
^ abcChang, Kenneth (January 24, 2014). "Mars Rover Marks an Unexpected Anniversary With a Mysterious Discovery". New York Times. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
^Nelson, Jon. "Phoenix". NASA. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
^ abcdefghiWebster, Guy; Brown, Dwayne (March 18, 2013). "Curiosity Mars Rover Sees Trend In Water Presence". NASA. Archived from the original on April 24, 2013. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
^Staff (December 3, 2012). "A Sampling of Martian Soils". NASA. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
^Staff (November 22, 2012). "Thanksgiving on Mars: Working Holiday for Curiosity Rover". Space.com. Retrieved November 22, 2012.
^Staff (December 11, 2012). "PIA16550: Layered Martian Outcrop 'Shaler' in 'Glenelg' Area". NASA. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
^Hoagland, Richard C. (December 4, 2012). "NASA Announces Curiosity Rover To Investigate Mysterious Linear Features, Called "Shaler"". Enterprise Mission. Archived from the original on April 16, 2013. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
^ abStaff (January 4, 2013). "PIA16564: 'Snake River' Rock Feature Viewed by Curiosity Mars Rover". NASA. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
^ abcRincon, Paul (March 19, 2013). "Curiosity breaks rock to reveal dazzling white interior". BBC. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
^ abWebster, Guy; Brown, Dwayne; Cantillo, Laurie (November 2, 2016). "Curiosity Mars Rover Checks Odd-looking Iron Meteorite". NASA. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
^Anderson, Paul Scott (February 3, 2013). "Curiosity 'hammers' a rock and completes first drilling tests". The Meridiani Journal. Archived from the original on February 6, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
^Brown, Dwayne (October 30, 2012). "NASA Rover's First Soil Studies Help Fingerprint Martian Minerals". NASA. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
^David, Leonard (January 5, 2018). "Structures on Mars". Space.com. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
^Edwards, Christopher (January 3, 2018). "Sols 1913-1924: Curiosity's Working Holiday". NASA. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
^Adamson, Allan (March 5, 2018). "Scientist May Have Found Evidence Of Fossilized Alien Tracks On Planet Mars". TechTimes.com. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
^Howell, Elizabeth (March 6, 2018). "No, Those Aren't Animal Tracks on Mars". Space.com. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
^Kooser, Amanda (12 June 2019). "Star Trek on Mars: NASA spots Starfleet logo in dune footprint - Beam me down to Mars, Scotty". CNET. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
^Samson, Diane (16 June 2019). "William Shatner Takes Playful Jab At 'Star Wars' Over 'Starfleet' Symbol Found On Mars". TechTimes.com. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
^Speigel, Lee (October 19, 2015). "Buddha Statue (Or Rock Formation) Spotted On Mars". Huffington Post. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
^Dapcevich, Madison (29 February 2024). "Authentic Image of Mysterious Object Found on Mars? - NASA confirmed to Snopes that the image was real, but it depicted a rather mundane object". Snopes. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rocks on Mars.
Mars - Geologic Map (USGS, 2014) (original / crop / full / video (00:56)).
Google Images: Rocks on Mars and Martian Rocks
Rocks on Mars (Geology.com)
MPF Rock Names
Named Rocks on Mars (ppt file)
NASA – Mars Exploration Program
Understanding 35 weird objects on Mars
The Origins of Life (Robert Hazen, NASA) (video, 38m, April 2014).