Source‐to‐Sink Terrestrial Analogs for the Paleoenvironment of Gale Crater, Mars

Compositional End Members in Gale Crater, Mars

Mars atmosphere. Mars methane detection and variability at Gale crater.

Reports of plumes or patches of methane in the martian atmosphere that vary over monthly time scales have defied explanation to date. From in situ measurements made over a 20-month period by the tunable laser spectrometer of the Sample Analysis at Mars instrument suite on Curiosity at Gale crater, we report detection of background levels of atmospheric methane of mean value 0.69 ± 0.25 parts pe...

Gale crater: the Mars Science Laboratory/ Curiosity Rover Landing Site

Gale crater formed from an impact on Mars *3.6 billion years ago. It hosts a central mound nearly 100 km wide and *5 km high, consisting of layered rocks with a variety of textures and spectral properties. The oldest exposed layers contain variably hydrated sulphates and smectite clay minerals, implying an aqueous origin, whereas the younger layers higher on themound are covered by amantle of d...

Organic molecules in the Sheepbed Mudstone, Gale Crater, Mars

The Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument on board the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover is designed to conduct inorganic and organic chemical analyses of the atmosphere and the surface regolith and rocks to help evaluate the past and present habitability potential of Mars at Gale Crater. Central to this task is the development of an inventory of any organic molecules present to elucid...

Redox stratification of an ancient lake in Gale crater, Mars.

In 2012, NASA's Curiosity rover landed on Mars to assess its potential as a habitat for past life and investigate the paleoclimate record preserved by sedimentary rocks inside the ~150-kilometer-diameter Gale impact crater. Geological reconstructions from Curiosity rover data have revealed an ancient, habitable lake environment fed by rivers draining into the crater. We synthesize geochemical a...