- Original Caption Released with Image:
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NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has revealed Martian rocks containing a
hydrated mineral similar to opal. The rocks are light-toned and appear
cream-colored in this false-color image taken by the High Resolution
Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera. Images acquired by the orbiter
reveal that different layers of rock have different properties and
chemistry. The opal minerals are located in distinct beds of rock outside
of the large Valles Marineris canyon system and are also found in rocks
within the canyon. The presence of opal in these relatively young rocks
tells scientists that water, possibly as rivers and small ponds,
interacted with the surface as recently as two billion years ago, one
billion years later than scientists had expected. The discovery of this
new category of minerals spread across large regions of Mars suggests that
liquid water played an important role in shaping the planet's surface and
possibly hosting life.
- Image Credit:
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NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Ariz
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