NASA's Curiosityrover finds surprise clues to Mars's watery past NASAJPL
When NASA's Curiosity rover arrived at the"sulfate-bearing unit" last fall, scientists thought they'd seen the last evidence that lakes once covered this region of Mars. That's because thehere formed in drier settings than regions explored earlier in the mission. The area's sulfates—salty minerals—are thought to have been left behind when water was drying to a trickle.
Mount Sharp is made up of layers, with the oldest at the bottom of the mountain and the youngest at the top. As the rover ascends, it progresses along a Martian timeline, allowing scientists to study how Mars evolved from a planet that was more Earth-like in its ancient past, with a warmer climate and plentiful water, to the freezing desert it is today.
Scientists will be looking for softer rock in the week ahead. But even if they never get a sample from this unusual strip of rock, there are other sites they're eager to explore.Far ahead of the Marker Band, scientists can see another clue to the history of Mars's ancient water in a valley named Gediz Vallis. Wind carved the valley, but a channel running through it that starts higher up on Mount Sharp is thought to have been eroded by a small river.
Curiosity used its ChemCam instrument to view Gediz Vallis Ridge, spotting boulders that are thought to have been washed down in an ancient debris flow. One reason scientists are interested in this ridge is because it includes boulders like these, which originated much higher up on Mount Sharp, where Curiosity won’t be able to reach. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/CNRS/IRAP/IAS/LPG
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