PIA18479: Martian Rocks Rich in Silicon


Martian Rocks Rich in Silicon

Caption:

Data from the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity show an unusual enrichment of silicon in the rocks dubbed "Wildrose" and "Bonanza King," relative to other rocks studied at Gale Crater on Mars, where the rover landed. This same enrichment had been seen by earlier missions to Mars (labeled in red), and even in Mars meteorites (black). The Bonanza King rock is most similar to "Fuzzy Smith" in silicon abundance. Fuzzy Smith, studied by the rover Spirit at Gusev Crater, indicated a past aqueous environment.

Background Info:

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover.

More information about Curiosity is online at http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/ .

Cataloging Keywords:

Name Value Additional Values
Target Mars
System
Target Type Planet
Mission Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Mars Exploration Rover (MER)
Instrument Host Curiosity Rover Spirit (MER-A)
Host Type Rover
Instrument Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS)
Detector
Extra Keywords Color, Crater
Acquisition Date
Release Date 2014-09-11
Date in Caption
Image Credit NASA/JPL-Caltech/ University of Guelph
Source photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA18479
Identifier PIA18479