NASA’s Curiosity rover is embarking on a new adventure on Mars, delving into a previously unexplored region that holds the potential to unlock the mystery of when liquid water vanished from the planet’s surface. Billions of years ago, Mars was a much wetter and warmer place. As Curiosity traverses the Gediz Vallis channel, a meandering feature believed to have been shaped by an ancient river, it offers a glimpse into the planet’s more Earth-like past.
Since 2014, Curiosity has been scaling the foothills of Mount Sharp, a towering structure that rises 3 miles (5 kilometers) above the floor of Gale Crater. The layers of Mount Sharp’s lower region, formed over millions of years in a changing Martian climate, provide scientists with a unique opportunity to study the evolution of water and the chemical components necessary for life.
One of the lower foothills contains a layer rich in clay minerals, indicating extensive water-rock interactions in the past. Now, the rover is investigating a layer enriched with sulfates, which are salty minerals that often form as water evaporates.
Revising the timeline of Mount Sharp
The exploration of the Gediz Vallis channel is expected to take several months, and the findings could potentially reshape the understanding of Mount Sharp’s formation timeline.
2024-03-31 10:00:04
Post from phys.org