Curiosity Mastcam Mosaic of the Yellowknife Bay Formation on Mars
In December 2013, NASA announced new findings from the Mars rover Curiosity that revealed signs of an ancient lake on the Red Planet, evidence that the planet was could have supported life in the ancient past. See photos from that announcement here.
Here: Mastcam mosaic of the Yellowknife Bay formation. This is a view from the base of an exposed section up through Sheepbed, Gillespie Lake, and basal Glenelg members. Locations of drill holes and Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (A PXS) measurements are shown. Image released Dec. 9, 2013. [Read the Full Story Here]
Bedrock Outcrop of Sheepbed Mudstone on Mars
Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) image of a brushed, gray bedrock outcrop of Sheepbed mudstone near the Cumberland drill hole. Prot rusion of nodules and minibowls results from eolian scouring of rock surface, creating wind-tail s that trend NE-SW. Preference for steep faces of wind-tails on NE side suggests long-term aver aged paleowind direction from NE to SW. Image released Dec. 9, 2013. [Read the Full Story Here]
Texture of the 'Snake' on Mars
Texture of the "snake" as seen by MAHLI on Sol 149 (January 6, 2013). Note the uniformly fine grain size and presence of pits that may reflect void spaces and, in some cases, erosion of softer components that may represent intraclasts. Image released Dec. 9, 2013. [Read the Full Story Here]
Sedimentary Rocks of the Yellowknife Bay Formation
Sedimentary rocks of the Yellowknife Bay formation. Image released Dec. 9, 2013. [Read the Full Story Here]
Diagenetic Features of the Sheepbed Member
Diagenetic features of the Sheepbed member. Image released Dec. 9, 2013. [Read the Full Story Here]
Map of Diagenetic Features of the Sheepbed Member
Map of diagenetic features showing spatial relationships between fabric elements. The rock surface coincides with a bedding plane. Note that nodules and hollow nodules pass laterally into raised ridges suggesting variations in lithologic or diagenetic fluid properties. Image released Dec. 9, 2013. [Read the Full Story Here]
Mudstone Drill Holes and Drill Powders Made by Curiosity
Images of mudstone drill holes and drill powders made by Curiosity Rover on Mars. Image released Dec. 9. 2013. [Read the Full Story Here]
Erosion by Scarp Retreat in Gale Crater
This mosaic of images from the Mast Camera (Mastcam) instrument on NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows a series of sedimentary deposits in the Glenelg area of Gale Crater, from a perspective in Yellowknife Bay looking toward west-northwest. [Read the Full Story Here]
View into 'John Klein' Drill Hole in Martian Mudstone
The hole that NASA's Curiosity Mars rover drilled into target rock "John Klein" provided a view into the interior of the rock, as well as obtaining a sample of powdered material from the rock. [Read the Full Story Here]
Possible Extent of Ancient Lake in Gale Crater
This illustration depicts a concept for the possible extent of an ancient lake inside Gale Crater. [Read the Full Story Here]
Erosion Patterns May Guide Mars Rover to Rocks Recently Exposed
Images of locations in Gale Crater taken from orbit around Mars reveal evidence of erosion in recent geological times and development of small scarps, or vertical surfaces. [Read the Full Story Here]
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