Curiosity Rover (IMAGE)

DOE/Los Alamos National Laboratory

Curiosity Rover

Caption

The Curiosity rover examines the Kimberley formation in Gale crater, Mars. In front of the rover are two holes from the rover's sample-collection drill and several dark-toned features that have been cleared of dust (see inset images). These flat features are erosion-resistant fracture fills that are composed of manganese oxides, which require abundant liquid water and strongly oxidizing conditions to form. The discovery of these materials suggests that the Martian atmosphere might once have contained higher abundances of free oxygen than in the present day.

Credit

MSSS/JPL/NASA (PIA18390)

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