JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Image

An Earth Analog to Mars' Yellowknife Bay

March 12, 2013
A sampling pit exposing clay-bearing lake sediments, deposited in a basaltic basin in southern Australia -- a modern terrestrial analog to the 'Yellowknife Bay' area that NASA's Curiosity rover is exploring.

This set of images shows a modern terrestrial analog to the "Yellowknife Bay" area that NASA's Curiosity rover is exploring. At left is a sampling pit exposing clay-bearing lake sediments, deposited in a basaltic basin in southern Australia. At right is a core sample from the lakebed, showing clay-rich, layered sediments. Different layers correspond to changing mineral compositions, a reflection of changing lake chemistry and environmental conditions over geologic time. The felt-tip pen is included for scale.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, manages the project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, and built Curiosity and CheMin.

For more information about Curiosity and its mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl.

Download JPG
Download TIFF
Mission
Spacecraft
  • Curiosity
Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/Ames

Keep Exploring

Curiosity Finds a Meteorite, Cacao

Curiosity's Navcams View Paraitepuy Pass

Curiosity's 36th Drill Hole at Canaima

Curiosity's View of Paraitepuy Pass

Curiosity's 36 Drill Holes

Curiosity's View of Sand Ridges and Bolívar

Curiosity's Close-Up of Rocks in Paraitepuy Pass

Curiosity's 360-Degree Panorama of Avanavero Drill Site

Curiosity's Mastcam Views Layers at Las Claritas

Curiosity's Mastcam Views Flaky, Streambed Rocks

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors
Careers
Internships
The JPL Story
JPL Achievements
Documentary Series
Annual Reports
Missions
Current
Past
Future
All
News
All
Earth
Solar System
Stars and Galaxies
Subscribe to JPL News
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Apps
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Robotics at JPL
Events
Lecture Series
Team Competitions
Speakers Bureau
Calendar
Visit
Public Tours
Virtual Tour
Directions and Maps
Topics
JPL Life
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Exoplanets
Stars and Galaxies
Robotics
More
Asteroid Watch
NASA's Eyes Visualizations
Universe - Internal Newsletter
Social Media
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisitions
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Managers: Veronica McGregor, Randal Jackson
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Naomi Hartono
CL#: 21-0018