Brief
NASA’s Curiosity rover snaps sunrise over Mount Sharp’s yardang layer
The image shows a bright ridge of sedimentary rock formed about three billion years ago, taken an hour after sunrise on Mars.
By Felo News Desk · Published
NASA released a new photograph taken by the Curiosity rover of dawn on the Martian surface, showing a striking yardang layer on Mount Sharp. The picture was captured by Curiosity’s Mastcam about an hour after the sun rose over wind‑carved cliffs.
What happened
The rover, which has been climbing Mount Sharp since 2014, photographed a bright, craggy ridge that scientists identify as a yardang – a sedimentary rock layer sculpted by wind. The layer stretches roughly 10 miles (16 km) across the north‑western flank of the mountain and is estimated to be about three billion years old.
What the reports add
Planetary scientist Ashwin Vasavada of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory explained that the yardang differs from the continuous stack of layers that make up Mount Sharp, sitting above an unconformity where older layers were eroded before newer sediment was deposited.
What was said
Vasavada told the Independent, “The bright craggy peaks … are a rock layer that is quite different in appearance from all the layers the rover has driven through so far… It once was wind‑blown sediment, maybe sand or maybe even ash… After the sediment hardened into rock, aeons of wind carved up the rock layer into ridges called yardangs.” He added that NASA hopes Curiosity will reach the yardang layer in 2027‑2028 for detailed study.
How it came about
Curiosity’s gradual ascent has gained about 0.6 miles (1 km) in elevation, the most ever climbed on Mars, allowing it to capture this unprecedented view of the mountain’s geology.
Key facts
- Curiosity captured a dawn image of a yardang layer on Mount Sharp. (independent.co.uk)
- The yardang layer spans about 10 miles (16 km) and is roughly three billion years old. (independent.co.uk)
- NASA plans for Curiosity to reach the yardang layer in 2027‑2028 for further study. (independent.co.uk)
Sources
- [1] independent.co.uk — originally reported as “Nasa's Curiosity rover captures new picture of what life is like on Mars”
