Researchers based at Princeton University, the California Institute of Technology and Ashima Research suggest that Mars’ roughly 3.5-mile high Mount Sharp (above) most likely emerged as strong winds carried dust and sand into Gale Crater where the mound sits. If correct, the research could dilute expectations that the mound is the remnant of a massive lake, which would have important implications for understanding Mars’ past habitability. (Image by NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)
Read: New Analysis Suggests Wind, Not Water, Formed Mound on Mars
The researchers report that air would have flowed up the crater rim (red arrows) and the flanks of Mount Sharp (yellow arrows) in the morning when the Martian surface warmed, and reversed in the cooler late afternoon. The researchers created a computer model showing that the fine dust carried by these winds could accumulate over time to build a mound the size of Mount Sharp even if the ground were bare from the start. The blue arrows indicate the more variable wind patterns on the floor of the crater, which includes the Curiosity landing site (marked by the “x”). (Image by NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA/DLR/FU Berlin/MSSS)
Features of Mount Sharp are more consistent with wind deposition rather than an ancient lakebed, the researchers reported. Satellite images show that the various layers of sediment that make up Mount Sharp likely did not extend to the crater wall and also display a consistent tilt, or “dip,” away from the center of the mound. The red dots denote dip areas with the average degree of slope indicated. The yellow star marks the landing site of the NASA Curiosity Mars rover. (Image from Kevin Lewis)
