This set of images shows a modern terrestrial analog to the "Yellowknife Bay" area that NASA's Curiosity rover is exploring. At left is a sampling pit exposing clay-bearing lake sediments, deposited in a basaltic basin in southern Australia. At right is a core sample from the lakebed, showing clay-rich, layered sediments. Different layers correspond to changing mineral compositions, a reflection of changing lake chemistry and environmental conditions over geologic time. The felt-tip pen is included for scale.
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, manages the project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, and built Curiosity and CheMin.
For more information about Curiosity and its mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl .
Name | Value | Additional Values |
---|---|---|
Target | Mars | |
System | ||
Target Type | Planet | |
Mission | Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) | |
Instrument Host | Curiosity Rover | |
Host Type | Rover | |
Instrument | ||
Detector | ||
Extra Keywords | Color | |
Acquisition Date | ||
Release Date | 2013-03-12 | |
Date in Caption | ||
Image Credit | NASA/JPL-Caltech/Ames | |
Source | photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA16831 | |
Identifier | PIA16831 |