Years ago, scientists noticed a series of curving bands of layered rock within Jezero Crater that they dubbed \u201cthe curvilinear unit.\u201d They could see these layers from space but are finally able to see them up close, thanks to Perseverance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One location within the curvilinear unit, nicknamed \u201cSkrinkle Haven,\u201d is captured in one of the new Mastcam-Z mosaics. Scientists are sure the curved layers here were formed by powerfully flowing water, but Mastcam-Z\u2019s detailed shots have left them debating what kind: a river such as the Mississippi, which\u00a0winds snakelike across the landscape, or a\u00a0braided river\u00a0like Nebraska\u2019s Platte, which forms small islands of sediment called sandbars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When viewed from the ground, the curved layers appear arranged in rows that ripple out across the landscape. They could be the remnants of a river\u2019s banks that shifted over time \u2013 or the remnants of sandbars that formed in the river. The layers were likely much taller in the past. Scientists suspect that after these piles of sediment turned to rock, they were sandblasted by wind over the eons and carved down to their present size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe wind has acted like a scalpel that has cut the tops off these deposits,\u201d said Michael Lamb of Caltech, a river specialist and Perseverance science team collaborator. \u201cWe do see deposits like this on Earth, but they\u2019re never as well exposed as they are here on Mars. Earth is covered in vegetation that hides these layers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A second mosaic captured by Perseverance shows a separate location that is part of the curvilinear unit and about a quarter mile (450 meters) from Skrinkle Haven. \u201cPinestand\u201d is an isolated hill bearing sedimentary layers that curve skyward, some as high as 66 feet (20 meters). Scientists think these tall layers may also have been formed by a powerful river, although they\u2019re exploring other explanations, as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThese layers are anomalously tall for rivers on Earth,\u201d Ives said. \u201cBut at the same time, the most common way to create these kinds of landforms would be a river.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The team is continuing to study Mastcam-Z\u2019s images for additional clues. They\u2019re also peering below the surface, using the ground-penetrating radar instrument on Perseverance called\u00a0RIMFAX\u00a0(short for Radar Imager for Mars\u2019 Subsurface Experiment). What they learn from both instruments will contribute to an ever-expanding body of knowledge about Mars\u2019 ancient, watery past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019s exciting here is we\u2019ve entered a new phase of Jezero\u2019s history. And it\u2019s the first time we\u2019re seeing environments like this on Mars,\u201d said Perseverance\u2019s deputy project scientist, Katie Stack Morgan of JPL. \u201cWe\u2019re thinking about rivers on a different scale than we have before.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n More About the Mission<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A key objective for Perseverance\u2019s mission on Mars is\u00a0astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet\u2019s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA\u2019s Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes\u00a0Artemis\u00a0missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We recommend you: Webb Looks for Fomalhaut\u2019s Asteroid Belt and Finds Much More<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"NASA\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/thumbnails\/image\/2-pia25830-mastcam-zs-view-of-pinestand-web.jpg\" "\\"\\"\/")
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