.jpg) Linkrock outcrop on Mars - an ancientstreambed[1][2][3] viewed by theCuriosity rover (September 2, 2012) (3-D version). | |
| Feature type | Rock outcrop |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 4°35′S137°26′E / 4.59°S 137.44°E /-4.59; 137.44 |
Link 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 the way fromBradbury Landing toGlenelg Intrigue on September 2, 2012 (the 27thsol of the mission), and was named after a significant rock formation (and lake) in theNorthwest Territories ofCanada.[4] The "approximate" site coordinates are:4°35′S137°26′E / 4.59°S 137.44°E /-4.59; 137.44.
The outcrop is aconglomerate ofgravel that has beenwell-sorted, containing well-rounded, smooth,abraded pebbles. Pebbles and gravel a few millimeters to centimeters across are embedded in amongst a finer, whitematrix. This outcrop geology is strikingly similar to some terrestrialfluvial conglomerates.[5] Around the rock are scattered well sorted loose gravel around 1 cm across, which are thought to be weathering out of the outcrop.
The rock has been interpreted as a cemented fluvial sediment, 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]
| General |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Instruments | ||
| Features | ||
| Sites | ||
| Rocks | ||
| Related | ||
.jpg)
