 Goulburnrock outcrop on Mars - an ancientstreambed[1][2][3] - viewed by theCuriosity rover (August 17, 2012). | |
| Feature type | Rock outcrop |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 4°35′S137°26′E / 4.59°S 137.44°E /-4.59; 137.44 |
Goulburn, also known asGoulburn Scour, is arock outcrop on the surface ofAeolis Palus, betweenPeace Vallis andAeolis Mons ("Mount Sharp"), inGale crater on the planetMars.[1][2][3] The outcrop was encountered by theCuriosity rover on landing at theBradbury Landing on August 6, 2012 (the 1stsol of the mission) and is named after a two-billion year-old sequence of rocks inNorthern Canada. The "approximate" site coordinates are:4°35′S137°26′E / 4.59°S 137.44°E /-4.59; 137.44.
The outcrop is awell-sortedgravelconglomerate, containing well-rounded, smooth,abraded pebbles. Occasional pebbles up to a few centimeters across are embedded in amongst amatrix of finer rounded particles, up to a centimeter across. It has been interpreted as afluvialsediment, deposited by a vigorously flowing stream, probably between ankle and waist deep. This stream is part of an ancientalluvial fan, which descends from the steep terrain at the rim of Gale crater across its floor.[2]
![Goulburn rock outcrop on Mars - an ancient streambed[1][2][3] - viewed by the Curiosity rover (August 17, 2012).](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aPIA16187-MarsCuriosityRover-Goulburn-20120819.jpg)
| General |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Instruments | ||
| Features | ||
| Sites | ||
| Rocks | ||
| Related | ||
.jpg)
