NASA Curiosity rover spots shallow pits on Mount Sharp
NASA's Curiosity rover just spotted some broad, shallow pits on Mount Sharp that don't look like the usual impact craters.
Unlike typical craters, these are not accompanied by obvious objects that were once in the pits.
Dr Michelle Minitti, MAHLI Deputy Principal Investigator, said they were "a welcome new puzzle into the processes that have affected this particular section of rocks in the stratigraphy of Mount Sharp" in her blog post.
Curiosity finds chemically distinct gray layers
Curiosity snapped detailed images and built 3-D models to size up the pits, then used its onboard tools to check out nearby rock layers.
Turns out, the gray layers next to these pits have a different chemistry than their surroundings.
Scientists think this could reveal new clues about how ancient environments shaped Mars long ago.