Dingo Gap has turned out to be quite an interesting place for the Curiosity rover, being both scenic and of great geological interest. Rocks of all sizes and shapes litter the landscape amid the cliffs and sand dunes and Curiosity is continuing to study this area before driving further south toward Mount Sharp. Another new panorama by Damia Bouic shows the scenery in stunning high resolution and there is also a great overview by Emily Lakdawalla on The Planetary Society blog.
As is common in such landscapes, some of the rocks can take on curious shapes, such as the ones below, and of course the “firepit” mentioned previously. What story do they tell about the history of this area of Mars? The thin, flat, platy rocks look a lot like the shale outcrops seen previously at Shaler. Are they shale also or something different? The perfect place for a rockhound!
I wonder what NASA’s protocol is for handling the discovery of something clearly non-natural, something that needs no analysis, etc. They must have procedures in place. Would they show us? Would it have to go to the President first?
Anyway, wonderful photos, great site.
Are there any confirmed martian rocks here on earth? Have we ever had any kind of spacecraft go to Mars and return? With a single stone? Could the next generation of Rovers have the power to return to earth?
The “snail shell” rock looks exactly like a bishop that went missing from an old chess set of mine. Thanks for finding it! I’m off to Mars to retreve it RIGHT NOW!