Curiosity is revealing more and more incredible geology on Mars . The late batch of images from the NASA rover show in salient point the eroded sandstones of the Red Planet , which are outstandingly similar to rock formation rule on Earth .
" Curiosity ’s science team has been just thrilled to go on this road trip through a bit of the American desert Southwest on Mars , " said Curiosity Project Scientist Ashwin Vasavada , of NASA ’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory , in astatement .
The rover has just finished research the Murray Buttes , a serial publication of pocket-sized mound with steep and often perpendicular side of meat . It has been driving around them for about one month and last week have very close to one of these buttes , where the pictures arrive from . Curiosity has also perform some boring , and it is now back on the route due south towards its goal , Mount Sharp .
Curiosity has been exploring Gale Crater since it arrived there in 2012 , and it has slowlymade its waytowards Mount Sharp , the fundamental feature of the crater . On its journeying , the rover has been collecting samples , taking photos , and studying the general anatomical structure in its surroundings . Gale Crater is believed to be an ancient lake bed , and it might have at one point hosted microbial life .
The Murray Buttes , in particular , are a perfect example of sandstone , a eccentric of sedimentary sway formed when sand dunes are cemented and then bundle by layers accumulating on top . In this case , the rocks formed from sediment in the ancient lake , and the buttes were organize over billion of days by the eat away action of the malarkey , easy direct away textile at the foot of Mount Sharp .
" study these buttes up tight has yield us a estimable understanding of ancient sand sand dune that spring and were bury , chemically commute by groundwater , exhumed and erode to mould the landscape painting that we see today , " Vasavada added .
These image , though , are just a stunning taste of matter to occur . The squad is preparing a tumid colour mosaic of the region by assembling all the images the incredible rover took in the last few calendar week .
