JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Image

View of Yellowknife Bay Formation, with Drilling Sites

Dec 09, 2013
This mosaic of images from NASA's Curiosity shows geological members of the Yellowknife Bay formation, and the sites where Curiosity drilled into the lowest-lying member, called Sheepbed, at targets 'John Klein' and 'Cumberland'.
Context Image
Larger image for PIA17595
Context Image
Larger image for PIA17595

This mosaic of images from Curiosity's Mast Camera (Mastcam) shows geological members of the Yellowknife Bay formation, and the sites where Curiosity drilled into the lowest-lying member, called Sheepbed, at targets "John Klein" and "Cumberland." The scene has the Sheepbed mudstone in the foreground and rises up through Gillespie Lake member to the Point Lake outcrop. These rocks record superimposed ancient lake and stream deposits that offered past environmental conditions favorable for microbial life. Rocks here were exposed about 70 million years ago by removal of overlying layers due to erosion by the wind.

The 50-centimeter scale bars at different locations in the image are about 20 inches long. The lower scale bar is about 26 feet (8 meters) away from where Curiosity was positioned when the view was recorded. The upper scale bar is about 98 feet (30 meters) from the rover's location. The scene is a portion of a 111-image mosaic acquired during the 137th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Dec. 24, 2012). The foothills of Mount Sharp are visible in the distance, upper left, southwest of camera position.

Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, built and operates Mastcam. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the Mars Science Laboratory mission and the mission's Curiosity rover for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed, developed and assembled at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

For more about NASA's Curiosity mission, visit http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl, http://www.nasa.gov/mars, and http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/msl.

Download JPG
Download TIFF
Mission
  • Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover
Target
  • Mars
Spacecraft
  • Curiosity
Instrument
  • Mastcam
Credit
NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Keep Exploring

Curiosity's View of Benches on Mars

Housedon Hill Mosaic Taken by Curiosity's ChemCam

Curiosity's Selfie at the Mary Anning location on Mars

Curiosity Spots a Dust Devil in the Hills

A Dramatic View of Mars' Mount Sharp

Curiosity Captures a Spaghetti Western Landscape on Mars

Curiosity's Rock Collection as of July 2020

Curiosity Finds Nodules near the Top of Pediment Slope

Curiosity's View From the Top of the Greenheugh Pediment

Curiosity's Path to the Sulfate-Bearing Unit

Related Topic

News .

NASA to Host Virtual Briefing on February Perseverance Mars Rover Landing

News .

NASA InSight’s ‘Mole’ Ends Its Journey on Mars

News .

Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover to Capture Sounds From the Red Planet

News .

NASA’s Curiosity Rover Reaches Its 3,000th Day on Mars

Mission .

InSight

News .

NASA Extends Exploration for Two Planetary Science Missions

News .

Celebrate the Perseverance Rover Landing With NASA's Student Challenge

Topic .

Mars

News .

7 Things to Know About the NASA Rover About to Land on Mars

Podcast .

On a Mission

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors of JPL
JPL History
Documentary Series
Virtual Tour
Annual Reports
Missions
All
Current
Past
Future
News
All
Earth
Mars
Solar System
Universe
Technology
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Infographics
Engage
JPL and the Community
Lecture Series
Public Tours
Events
Team Competitions
JPL Speakers Bureau
Topics
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Stars and Galaxies
Exoplanets
Technology
JPL Life
For Media
Contacts and Information
Press Kits
More
Asteroid Watch
Robotics at JPL
Subscribe to 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 Manager: Veronica McGregor
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Randal Jackson, Naomi Hartono